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

A Passion for Writing

If you’ve stumbled upon this reading plan, there’s a good chance that you enjoy stringing words together into sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. Some of you enjoy writing nonfiction while others prefer fiction and fantasy.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years about the writing life, it’s that a person needs to have a passion for writing. This passion is fueled by the God we desire to partner with in order to write lasting words of impact. After all, the Kingdom writer is one who is gifted and called by God. The prophet Jeremiah describes our calling with these words:

“But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in His name, His word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!” (Jeremiah 20:9 NLT)

Can you relate to feeling this way? Are the words inside you like a fire in your bones until you’re able to get those words onto paper?

But like many things in life, sometimes our passion and fire can grow dim. Somewhere along the way, we forget about the love we once had for the craft of writing. Instead, we become focused on the destination or the finished product and become impatient when things aren’t lining up the way we want.

In her book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott describes the students she has the opportunity to teach in a writing class. One thing becomes clear as she’s trying to impart her writing knowledge to her students. All they seem to be interested in is how to get published.

They ask her about agents and sending manuscripts to publishers. “The problem that comes up over and over again is that these people want to be published. They kind of want to write, but they really want to be published.”

If you and I only "kind of want to write," we probably won’t last very long in this writing life thing. But as Kingdom writers, the bigger question will be, “Does my writing passion flow from my deep and intimate relationship with Jesus?"

In the book of Revelation, one of the churches Jesus addresses is in Ephesus. He recognizes their hard work, patient endurance, and several other positives. But He has one primary complaint against this notable church:

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” (Revelation 2:4 NLT)

Oh, how these words must have cut straight to the heart of these believers. These words of our Lord should also stop us in our tracks today. True Kingdom writing that has the potential to impact others must begin with our own personal love for Jesus and others.

Here are a couple of questions to ponder as you consider your own writing journey:

• Where am I in my love for Jesus and for others?
• What fuels my passion to write words that impact others?