Are We There Yet?
by Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes
(James 1:2, NIV).
When my family lived in Chandler, Arizona, we took many road trips to California to visit my uncle during the holidays. Those of you who travel with children know how driving time can double from bathroom stops, settling fights, or returning to a gas station to retrieve belongings.
One of our three girls would inevitably ask, “Are we there yet?”
My uncle’s exit appeared as a beacon of hope shining to us from the GPS screen. The sight renewed our energy as we found our way to the most welcoming home in world. When greeted with love, delicious food, gifts and soft beds, a slice of heaven was dished to us. We realized it was worth the journey.
Our California road trips taught my husband and me to forbid the consumption of monster slushies from truck-stops. We discovered that a store’s sign which claims the food and coffee are fresh might not represent the truth. Our family also learned to pack lighter. In other words, we gained an education on the way.
Our journey as writers follows suit. We learn many things en route to where we’re going, such as platform development or guidance from mentors and critique groups. Benefits of publication, recognition, or income could await us along the way as additional blessings for the trip. Yet as Christian writers, God challenges us to persevere through the process as we strive for a greater beacon of hope to know him and make him known.
Our faith in God to trust him with our writing careers is often like a road trip with trials, turns, and rewards. Sometimes we lose our way. At others, we revisit places through which we’ve already traveled. But it’s all part of the plan to get us where God ultimately wants us as his messengers—at home in relationship with him.
Dear Lord, help us to journey through our writing careers with the right balance of persistence and patience. Bless us to learn the lessons you’d have us learn on the way to our goals. Let perseverance finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2 NIV). Amen.
Katherine is a counselor, consultant, author, and owns an event-planning business. Her art and writing are distinguished by awards including the New York Mayor’s Contribution to the Arts, Outstanding Resident Artist of Arizona, and Foundations Awards at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference. Katherine loves speaking to groups, delivering messages with quick wit and real-life stories. Connect at https://godslittleblackdress.com/or https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Little-Black-Dress-Women/dp/1365056163
Love to see you in print but even better in person. I miss you, dear friend!