Go Ollie In by Kathryn Howard

Go Ollie In

by Kathryn Howard

“Whatever you do work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”

(Colossians 3:23, ESV).

We fondly nicknamed our family dog Oliver Jellybean Howard. With both German and English Pointer bloodlines, the two breeds incline him to focus on his work to hunt birds. Most mornings I sit on my back porch while my looney birddog searches for lizards. Day after day he flips the cushions, noses around the bushes, and sniffs the flower pots and table. His comical forays annoyed me until the day they inspired me. A sweet little Mockingbird splashed in our birdbath. Although a bird dog, Ollie almost never tries to catch one. I didn’t want him to notice her, but his inattention to her shenanigans cracked me up. He stayed all in with his “lizards or bust” routine.

Most astonishing is his persistence despite consistent lack of success. He goes weeks without catching a lizard, but daily expends the same effort, never slowed by his win/lose ratio. I open the door and off he goes.

As writers, we need to imitate him. Let’s follow Ollie. Make a habit to clock in and work. Hunt for the time, flip away distractions, search for fodder, track every idea. Lazer focus on writing, rewriting, editing, submitting. Do it day after day. Was yesterday’s work subpar? Keep going. Train our noses to sniff out places to submit our work and just do it. No excuses. When rejected, we rewrite and submit again. Eventually, we will find that juicy publishing lizard and our efforts will be rewarded.

Let’s not allow discouragement, obstacles, or rejection stop us. Like my silly dog, let’s focus on the goal. Find that lizard. There’s one out there somewhere. The Lord blesses the diligence we bring to our work. He designed bird dogs to hunt and he created us to shine his light on our readers. When we work heartily for him, we can trust he will lead us to the hearts that need the words we offer.

Sweet Lord, strengthen us to “go Ollie in.” Our goal is to honor you and work heartily for you. Use our words to bless others for your glory. P.S. Thank you for dogs. Amen.

Kathryn Howard is mama to five precious humans, two adorable dogs and five, yes five, gorgeous kitties. She is a passionate Mary Kay Star Team Builder, and a joyful middle school culinary teacher. Besides writing, she loves to encourage others, create art and explore new restaurants. She is currently working on her bucket list.