What Was I Thinking?
by Tracy Crump
(Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV).
Rain streaked down the taxi windows as I sat in the back seat waiting for the driver. I was exhausted from flying seven hundred miles by myself to attend a writers’ conference, something I’d never done before. Now a mix-up with airport transportation presented one more confirmation that I should have stayed home. What was I thinking when I decided to make this trip on my own?
Then I remembered the unusual sequence of events that brought me here: receiving an unsolicited card advertising a writers’ conference; expecting to be short on finances but finding almost the exact amount needed squirreled away in a drawer; getting a last-minute airline special. God had met each need long before I arrived at the conference. My heart swelled with gratitude. By the time the driver climbed into the front seat, I felt at peace.
God doesn’t promise to grant our every writing desire. But he does promise peace that will guard our hearts and minds through every aspect of the writing process. How often do we hand God a laundry list of requests with no thought of thanks for what he will accomplish or has done already? We don’t have to know how God will work things out. It’s enough to know he will. For that, we can show gratitude even before the query letter leaves our hands or the book proposal nears completion.
Anxiety over what direction to take with my writing often immobilizes me. I wonder how my disposition could change if I thank God beforehand for what he’ll do. The resulting peace alone might be enough to breathe new life into my endeavors.
God is the one who brought me here and the one who deserves my thanks—that’s what I’ll be thinking from now on.
Father, thank you in advance for your peace which means more than any success writing could offer.
Tracy Crumps dispenses hope in Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing https://tinyurl.com/y37mcflo). She has published devotions in The Upper Room, quarterly devotional publications, and Guideposts books and contributed 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul®. She conducts writing workshops, freelance edits, proofreads for Farmers’ Almanac—and loves on four granddarlings.
Love this! I’ve been having pre-conference jitters for a few weeks. Thank you for the reminder that He has this. And me!
Yes! God can straighten the paths before you, Kelly Anne. I’m praying you learn and grow through the conference and God provides divine appointments!
How I wish I always remembered to “thank God beforehand for what he’ll do.” Thank you, Tracy.
It doesn’t come naturally, does it, Diana? But oh, how sweet when we do.
Thank you for reminding me to thank God beforehand for what He will do. Amen.
I need those reminders, too, Melissa!
Tracy, Such a good reminder of how we often look around us and wonder how we got here. But gratitude yields our heart to follow God’s leading without always knowing the end result. Faith in action!
That’s right, Shari! I think about Abraham striking out on that long journey without knowing where he would end up. I act as though I have to map out every step!
Such an inspiring message. Thank you for sharing.
Just saw your comment, Linda. Thank you for reading!