One Good Word
by Donna Mumma
“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.”
Writers know the value of a good word. We labor over our prose and search for phrases that will leap straight from the page to the heart. When a near-perfect sentence flows from our minds to our fingers, we rejoice, sure that we’ve fulfilled God’s mission entrusted to us.
But what do we do when the light in our imagination goes dark and the pool of our creativity evaporates? Writer’s block looms. Desired words elude us and the page remains bare.
Undesirable terms manage to breach the blockade. Failure. No-talent-hack. Lost cause. Our discouragement blooms to despair, and we toy with walking away from the blank screen, declaring we must have misunderstood God’s call to write.
When I find myself in this stagnant place, I remind myself of one good word—push.
I push myself to write something every day. No matter how trite the sentences or how bland the words, having something on a page gives me material to go back to and edit later.
I push myself to ignore the negative editor in my brain who corrects, scolds, and doubts my abilities. I let the ideas flow without impediment. The nugget of gold I’ve been searching for may rest somewhere within the mish-mash of disjointed thoughts.
And lastly, I push myself to believe that God chose me because He needed my voice to be heard. Whether I feel able to fulfil this call matters not. He has a message for me to deliver and I don’t want to fall short.
Pushing forces me to move. Once I tap the keyboard, my brain’s ignition turns, my imagination’s engine comes to life, and the empty tank of fuel fills with gallons of creativity. My heart sings as that blank page fills with words I’ve been searching for.
The next time discouragement tries to strangle you, remember this good word—push. Push Until Something Happens.
Because God needs you to deliver His good word to the world.
Lord, help us to remember to push when all we really want to do is quit. Amen.
Donna Mumma writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction seasoned with a sense of adventure. An avid believer in education, she holds a M.Ed. in Elementary Education. She serves as Tampa chapter president of Word Weavers International. A native Floridian, Donna lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband. She is the mom of two college boys and an energetic collie named Duke. Visit her website http://donnamumma.me/.
Love this reminder, Donna, to push through and write, not out of inspiration but out of obedience to the One who called us.
Love this! We labor to get His message to those that need it. Reminds me of my laboring to bring forth my children. Not an easy task but something that needed to be done. Thank you, Donna!