31 Days of 5-Minute Free-Writes

Day 10: How

Several years ago I had the privilege of hosting a bridal shower for a friend of mine. It was so much fun planning, organizing, decorating, preparing, and then hosting her and all the guests. I’ve never been behind the scenes of a baby shower, however, and I wonder, are they essentially the same? In what ways are they different?

Today is Day 10 of my baby-book shower for Reflections of a Mother’s Heart. That means we’re approximately one-third of the way through the month, and still I ask myself, “How do I do this?” How do I write 31 themed blog posts? How do I write a book? How do I get it published? How do I present it to the world?

If you’re looking for a list of detailed technical answers to these questions, you’ll have to read a seasoned writer’s blog. For the question HOW, I have only one answer:

Colossians 3:23  And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.

That is the only way I know how to do it.

Heartily = from the heart; with all your heart

As to the Lord = He is the only One whose approval matters.

And not unto men = This phrase is included for emphasis.

Yes, we need to reach our audience, but we need to find a balance—or better yet, an intersection—between what they want and the message God has called us to share.

That concept is not original with me, but I stand behind it. Here is how the Lord brought me to this conclusion. We live in the flight path of Hurricane Michael, and it’s possible we’ll be facing an interruption in power sometime after he arrives. With that in mind, on Monday I looked at today’s theme with the intention of writing my post a little early, but I drew a complete blank. Again yesterday I looked at the theme, but again that three-letter word HOW stared me in the face and offered absolutely no ideas. Well, I got the title 🙂 but nothing more. Then later in the afternoon I watched an archived hope*writers podcast by co-founder Emily, and she said what I shared with you above. I still didn’t know what I was going to write about until I finally started writing, and the thoughts were there waiting for me. While I was writing, I realized how well what she had said earlier dove-tailed with the thoughts that were flowing to my fingers.

Have you ever had moments like that? If I had waited until the entire article was planned out in my mind, chances are I would have missed it completely. But I took the first step—copy old post, change title and headings—and then the next step was illuminated. This reminds me of Psalm 119:105.

Psalm 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

God doesn’t show us the entire course all at once. He only shows us the next step. Every race—whether a 50-yard dash or a marathon—is run one step at a time. And every composition is written one word at a time. If you find yourself getting stuck, just start writing, and the Father will lead you from there.

Kate Motaung, host of Five-Minute Friday, has challenged us to 31 Days of Five-Minute Free Writes, in which we will explore the telling of our story. This isn’t the first such challenge of hers, but it is the first for me. Thank you for sharing it with me.

For a list of links to all my posts for this challenge, click here.

¹Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, part of the Deluxe Library Version 8.1 of StudyLamp Software: Broken Arrow, OK, 1995-2017.