Just One More

Just One More

by Kathy Davis

“’How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked”

(Mark 8:5, NIV).

After I wrote a faith-based article for my sorority’s newsletter, the editor asked me to share my experience with the “fruit of the Spirit” mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. I agreed.

I considered each of the nine characteristics and settled on peace because I found expressions of it in every area of my life. Whether in worship, at home, or at the dawn of a writing project, I enjoyed God’s peace.

As Christian writers, we aim to enlighten, motivate, and inspire our readers. We tell stories, provide testimonials, and share experiences we hold sacred. The deeper we connect to our preferred genre, or writing platforms, the more Lord blesses us with an unction to continue composing. When he wraps his peace around our work, he rewards us with his unique fulfillment.

My sorority affirmed the article on peace and asked for a second one, this time on a different characteristic. At first the request gave me pause because I’d prayed for a single virtue to base my first article on. Peace had seemed to be God’s only answer. Or so I thought.

My doubt, similar to the disciples’ response to feeding a hungry crowd, was still doubt. They wondered how seven loaves would feed four thousand men. I asked, “How will I find the right words to tell another story—beyond the grace of peace?”

An opportunity to journal about God’s goodness hid beneath my dilemma. I prayed for one more virtue to write about. He answered, “Patience,” and opened my eyes to more possibilities as I filled the pages of my journal.

Not only had seven loaves provided enough for the disciples to feed the crowd, afterward they had “… seven basketfuls of broken pieces” (Mark 8:8b, NIV). The Lord showed me that in a similar way, he would provide abundantly for me as well as for other writers.

Dear Lord, as I begin each writing project in service to your kingdom, please free me of “just one more” thoughts. Help me overcome a scarcity way of thinking. Let me complete each task with more than enough. May they multiply for your glory. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.