Breckenridge, Colorado

A Reason to Write

There are days I plop in my desk chair and just stare aimlessly at the computer screen. I seem to be lost in a foggy, sleepless world. I forget words, lose my train of thought, and faithfully respond when I hear the couch, cookies, and a good book calling my name.

As writers, we crave to spill words out on paper, weave stories, and share our innermost thoughts with others. But it’s not always that easy especially when we have crying babies and dinner to get ready before the night is over.

With a one-year-old and a toddler life has changed. There aren’t too many nights I get to sleep all the way through or finish a hot meal. It’s tough to get my kids to nap at the same time, and distractions seem to come in droves. It’s especially hard to find the time to write. I love being a mother, and I feel - along with writing - it is what the Lord called me to do.

Just like missionaries are called thousands of miles away from home, we are called just down the hallway to our desks each day to put on paper what He fills our hearts with. When I sit down to write I start first with time for the One who gives me the passion to write. I let His words sink into my thoughts, and let a constant flow of prayers fall from my lips.

Shutting off the phone and the television, (putting a lock on the cookie jar), and concentrating on what I would like to get accomplished can lead to a productive writing time.

All throughout history, the Lord had people writing to get things accomplished, even in the most chaotic times. Paul spent time writing to the churches in Corinth, He gave David the ability to write poetry, and Mordecai was handed the power by King Xerxes to write an edict saving his people from destruction. All throughout the Bible God has given people a reason to write. Searching through each page of the Bible, I know that when something was written, it was ultimately for the Glory of God.

I try to remind myself that Paul was busy walking everywhere, David probably spent most of his time ruling the kingdom and I’m sure Mordecai stayed on his knees in prayer the majority of the day. When I am tired, I think of Paul and the others. When I spend time cleaning crayon off the walls, I brainstorm my next story or devotion. When I have a hard time sitting still in front of the computer, I try to remember what I believe I have been called to do.

It most likely won’t ever be as important as those in the Bible, but God did call me from the couch and laid it on my heart to place words on paper, even if they trickle out slower than a snail at times. He will make the words clearer, He will pull me out of the fog, and He will teach me how to write for five minutes at a time, between diapers and dinner.