The Writing Life: Partnering With God to Write Words That Impact OthersParaugs

Messy Middle

In the book Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, we find a character named Henri who happens to be a ship builder. Henri has a habit of tearing up his boats just before finishing. Some think he’s crazy but one person recognizes that Henri is afraid of the water. He likes boats but is afraid of going out on the water. Thus, he tears up the boat so he doesn’t actually need to launch the boat.

At times, the writer can exhibit similar behavior. We may find ourselves trashing the writing we’ve completed due to our fear of launching those words into the world. We could be fearful of the criticism of others or simply prone to our own perfectionism. Just before submitting our manuscript, we might even ask ourselves the insidious question, “Who am I to write and publish a book?”

In Matthew 14:22-33, we see Jesus launching the disciples back across the Sea of Galilee after the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. Jesus has plans to retreat into the hills for some prayer time with His Father.

After several hours of smooth sailing, the disciples find themselves battling heavy waves caused by a strong wind that had risen. You might say they found themselves in a messy middle.

As writers, we can often encounter a messy middle of our own. Jesus launches us into our writing journey and we feel the wind is at our backs before sudden storms rise up. Before long, we feel weary as we battle one wave of attack after another. We wonder if we’re even called to this writing life.

But just before we decide to give up due to fatigue, Jesus meets us in His perfect timing. It was three o’clock in the morning when Jesus arrives on the scene walking on water. He allowed the disciples to struggle for several hours before coming to their aid. In a similar way, Jesus allows us to struggle and fight for a time before coming to our aid.

Three o’clock in the morning would have been considered the fourth watch. When everyone else is asleep and seems oblivious to our struggles, there is One who is awake and watching. Not one drop of our blood, sweat, or tears falls to the ground without Him noticing.

As only Jesus can, He utters these life-giving words, “Don’t be afraid…take courage…I am here.” (14:27)

But like Peter, we can find ourselves asking, “Lord, if it’s really You, tell me to come to You, walking on water.” Lord, if you really called me to write this book, give me supernatural ability to complete it. Otherwise, this project is about to sink.

Like Peter who doubted, our circumstances can cause us to begin sinking before Jesus pulls us up again. Rest assured, dear writer, that if God has helped launch you and your book, He will get you to the other side.

He meets us in our messy middle when things look bleak. Like those fierce winds, Jesus calms the chaos that arises on our writing journey.

• What are your greatest fears regarding your writing?
• If you currently find yourself in a messy middle, cry out to Jesus to come to your aid while asking Him for supernatural assistance to finish the journey to the other side.