Writing Worthy Words
by Alice Murray
“If you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman”
(Jeremiah 15:19b, NIV)
My pen flew over the paper as I raced to jot down what I heard. Packed with tips and challenges for improving my writing, the webinar for my genre proved beneficial.
The instructor’s peppy voice inspired hope of future writing success. But her words of advice were challenging.
“Read regularly,” she urged. “Including poetry.”
Poetry? How could reading poetry help me write a better article or devotional? I don’t have enough time to write as it is. Now I must work on reading as well? I thought listening to a one-hour program would magically transform me into a best-selling writer. Wrong. Being a successful writer was going to take work—hard work.
The other words of wisdom imparted by the teacher seemed more appropriate for a musician than for a writer.
“Practice, practice, practice,” she stressed.
Carnegie Hall isn’t my goal, I thought sarcastically. Must I discipline myself to tackle writing assignments daily? Wasn’t writing supposed to be a creative and fun process?
The pointers provided in the webinar seemed burdensome on my available time. I wanted to get down to writing instead of merely preparing myself to write.
The words of two trusted sources altered my view of the webinar host’s advice. Mom, who was known for uttering wise words, had repeatedly told me, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” From childhood, my dream had been to be a writer. If striving for that dream meant following advice and working at my craft, wasn’t that worth doing?
The Bible also made an impact on my attitude. God told Jeremiah that to be his spokesman he should utter worthy words. God desires me to better my craft because this improvement allows me to produce worthy words. I then can speak effectively for him. Working on my writing enables me to better serve my Lord through the writing talent he has bestowed upon me.
Lord, change my perspective so I view time spent learning to be a better writer as time spent
serving you. Amen.
Great article Alice, thanks for sharing.
Dave Holland
Thank you for your devo. I’m glad to know I’m not alone in my feelings. It is hard work but eventually we’ll reap the rewards.