Detoured? You’re not Alone
by Gail Lenhard
(Isaiah 35:4-6, ASV).
Sometimes I feel blind, deaf, mute, and lame when sitting down to write. My mind goes as blank as the screen. I know what I want to say, but the words don’t come. I am frightened that maybe, just maybe, a writing career isn’t for me.
The mundane regularly detours me. A week goes by, and I haven’t written anything. Life gets in the way. There’s just too much to do. The house is a mess. Laundry is miles high. There’s no time to write. Will anyone want to read what I’ve written? They’re just words. Right?
Several of my writer friends also suffer from “detouritis.” The condition can tempt us all to doubt our call to write.
How do we stay focused? Put words on the page? Open our eyes to see and our ears to hear? God’s Word offers us the answers we need.
In Isaiah, God tells the Israelites to be strong and fear not because He is with them. God is also with you and me. He will open our hearts, eyes, and ears. We must believe and pray for his guidance.
The New Testament underscores how God equips us to serve our purpose. In spite of challenges which might have distracted Paul from conveying the Lord;s message, he wrote, “But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4: 7, 11-12).
Detours happen. Life gets in the way. But that doesn’t mean God wants us to squelch the message He put on our hearts or the stories we’re compelled to share. Remembering God’s encouraging Word will help us get past the detours.
Heavenly Father, hear my pleas when I run into a detour. As I turn to your word for inspiration, may I find my way to complete the work you have planned for me. Amen.
Gail Lenhard holds a BA degree in Elementary Education from Saint Leo University. She is an award winning writer for all ages and genres, and offers editing and critique services at http://www.copygail.com. Gail and her husband own Glenn’s MG Repair in St. Petersburg, FL that focuses on the maintenance and restoration of British classic cars. Several of her articles have been published in various classic auto magazines.