Why Write? Hasn't It Been Said Already?

When I lived in Uganda, West Africa, driving anywhere was an adventure in frustration due to the huge, sometimes car-sized potholes in the road. Sometimes it seemed better to just give up and stop trying. However, giving up meant not going anywhere.

Writing is similar. There are all sorts of "potholes" that show up--an offhand comment from someone, the arguments we put in our own heads, Satan's lies--that get in the way of where God wants us to go. Sometimes they are so big and daunting, we give up and decided to stay put.


However, unlike in Uganda, the potholes in our thinking can be conquered, bridged over with truth until they're just bumps to get over rather than massive craters waiting to swallow us whole. Here are a few of the bigger potholes, and the truths that bridge across them.

1. There is so much already out there. Why should I bother?
If you put the word "blog" in the Yahoo search bar, you get over 78 million to choose from. Yes, there are words aplenty out there. Why bother writing any more?

This is a legitimate question and one that will keep you from moving forward if you let it. However, the wonderful thing about being a daughter of the King of kings is that He has a distinct and important purpose for your life. Yours. And if He has called you to write, there's a reason for it. You may not be able to see where your voice is needed, but God has a place for it.

For example:
Asha, the main character in my Stolen series on human trafficking, goes in search of her birth parents in the 2nd book in the series, Stolen Child, desperate to know why they gave her up. In the end, she finds out that her worth and value are not based on whether her biological parents wanted her or not (she does end up being rejected by her father again) but rather in her relationship with Jesus Christ.

A woman wrote to tell me that after reading that fiction novel, she now has the courage to seek out her own birth father, despite fearing he will reject her again as well.

There are multitudes of books and blogs out there on adoption, on facing fears, on finding worth in Christ. But she wasn't reading those books. She was reading mine. And God used it to meet a need in her heart.

2. Someone else could do this better.
I've thought of that as a mom with health problems, but God still gave me 2 kids and told me to raise them. He did not give them to anyone else--anyone "better." Because they are mine, because God assigned them to me, I am the best mother in the world for them. In the same way, if God has given you a message to share with the world, you are the best person to give that message.

3. I don't have a broad enough outreach for my message.
A little boy gave Jesus one lunch once. Jesus could have used it to feed one person. Instead, He used it to feed thousands. But remember, the little boy had to give the one lunch first, even though it was laughably inadequate for the need.

4. I'm not a "real" writer yet, so maybe I shouldn't put my words out there yet.
Yet is a big pothole of a word. You can't get anywhere without starting! Just because someone else is farther along than you doesn't mean you should feel overwhelmed or intimidated, any more than a child should feel overwhelmed that most of the people in the world are older than he is. It's not a child's job to catch up to everyone older. He is growing at the exact age and stage of development God intended for him and his life. Don't compare your details to other people's details. God makes individual plans for His kids, not group ones. =)

5. If I don't write, I won't fail.
Not true. If you are meant to write, not writing is the only way you can fail. This comes down to obedience verses fear. Did God tell you to do this? That's all you need to know.

6. Everybody is writing about this topic these days. Why should I add to it?
Have you ever wondered why there are 4 Gospels in the Bible instead of just 1? If you asked a large group of people which book--Matthew, Mark, Luke or John--helped them grow in their faith the most, you will get all kinds of different answers.

Why? Because people are different. They approach God different ways and learn about Him differently. The 4 Gospels are the story of Jesus from the unique perspectives of 4 different men. Their encounter with Christ was unique even though many of the settings and events are the same.

It's no different today. Your unique perspective is significant; it cannot be replicated.

I'll leave you with this thought: I'm sure plenty of people have written about why you should write despite the arguments that would hinder you. However, you are reading my blog right now, not theirs. If I avoided this topic because other people have covered it, you might never have read whatever God wanted to use from this post to minister to you today.

Those potholes are big and daunting, but next time you face one, throw a bridge of truth across the void and drive right over it!


Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thess. 5:24