WHY-ning and Writing in Faith
by Tina Yeager
(1 Corinthians 2:12, NIV).
Aches clench my back, claw up over my shoulders, and clamp onto my neck. The searing burn of a mini-migraine burrows from the lower edge of my skull through my head into my eye sockets. Of course, this occurs in the hours when I had planned to write.
I could react to this discomfort like I have to so many others and shout “why” at the heavens. I omit the why’s punctuation because my rant lands outside the realm of a genuine question and leans toward a protest.
Perhaps you’ve shared my history of WHY-ning. Rejection letters arrive. Conferences close their doors. Sales sag and my words could fall into a silent abyss where no one reads them after all. Many unexpected struggles arise on this journey, all of which I fail to understand.
Fortunately, I don’t need to make sense of these setbacks. The author of my days knows how my life’s story and my message will turn out. He understands more than enough for both of us. And he offers me the opportunity to choose him as my ultimate “why.”
Whether I face headaches, rejections, or any other hurdle, I only need to know the Spirit and the call he has placed in my soul. Not due to some elite level of righteousness I attained on my own power, but because Jesus enables me as the “pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). And I depend upon nothing more when confronting the temptation to WHY-ne, since faith is “the evidence of things not seen … By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:1,3). So though I once responded to obstacles with WHY-ning, I can now choose to write trusting in him.
Lord, thank you for reminding me that you are my foremost and only reason. As my Savior and indwelling Lord, you serve as my why. Keep me aligned with your will and writing in faith, even when I cannot see how things could possibly turn out. I’m so grateful for your grace and guidance. Amen.
Award-winning author, speaker, licensed counselor, and life coach, Tina encourages audiences to fulfill their potential. She offers writing workshops through Serious Writer Academy, hosts the Flourish-Meant podcast, and is a mentor with Word Weavers International. Beautiful Warrior, her book on women’s esteem is available on Amazon. To connect with her, visit tinayeager.com.
I relate. Thanks for the reminder to keep my focus on the Lord and his calling. You always share such wisdom that is so practical.