Success Over Time by Kim Robinson

Success Over Time

by Kim Robinson

“Ship your grain across the sea after many days you may receive a return.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land”

(Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, NIV).

I stopped writing.

That’s right. I didn’t write or submit anything for months, despite encouragement from industry professionals like Emily Harstone in Authors Publish who says, “Authors publish” (which requires submitting queries). She even recommends in her classes that writers set a goal of receiving 100 rejections. So we keep going.

King Solomon advised us, like Emily, to work diligently and continue sending it out in every direction to fulfill its purposes. That requires a lot of our time.

Our timeless and changeless God enjoys his universe where things take time and constantly change. And he even entered into it as a baby, to be with us in a contextual way apart from his own nature.

And we, who dwell in the context of time and change, beg God to rescue us from it. We cry out for instant results. Heal me now. Fix this problem now. We recite all the examples of Jesus’ instantaneous miracles. We don’t want to go through the slow process of repair and improvement. Yet God loves that process. He loves taking 150 years to grow a mighty cedar tree.

I’ve seen that slow labor in my own life as a writer. My first endeavors were opportunities for me to grow in the art and skill of writing story—not likely to bless any reader. Some of my later queries took two years to bear fruit.

So today, let us pick up those pens, turn on our computers, and ask God to revive the creative juices in our hearts and minds. Embrace the journey, May we delight in learning and honing our craft. And submit our work to critique readers, contests, publishers. Submit, submit, submit. Engage our audience.

Solomon reiterated his admonition about investing our work:

“Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.”

(Ecclesiastes 11:6, NIV).

Father, help me to sow the seed you’ve cultivated in me, that my words might bless others. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

A former Oregon and Alaska schoolteacher, Kim Robinson’s favorite position was in Africa, teaching English and Bible to missionary crew’s teens aboard the Mercy Ships’ hospital vessels. This woman of faith—and many adventures—currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is delighted to serve the Lord as writer, copy editor, and encourager of faith.