The Love of Words: A Writer's Delight

Greetings, #JustWrite! It's February, and as you all know, the writer's workshop that was originally scheduled for last month was postponed due to the weather and will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2016. The cancellation of the event put a lot into perspective for me. I was able to rest and reflect. Prayerfully, it was a day of reflection and diligence for you all as well.

 It's 15 days into February and the two things that I think about are Black History Month and Valentine's Day. As the years go by, I try to relish in those two significant moments throughout the year, not just for the month. It's also leap year which means we have an extra day in the month to #JustWrite!, lol. On a serious note, as I was preparing for this month's blog, I knew I wanted to focus on love, not necessarily romantic love, but love from God's perspective and a writer's perspective. As I wrote the title, the scripture, Psalm 37:4 came to mind: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." As writers, we naturally have a love for words. As the scripture resonated with me, I thought about how we as Christians love God's Word. 2 Cor. 17 states that "therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

This means that as we become one with God through studying and living out His Word, our desires align with His desires. So writers, are you delighting in God's Word as well as delighting in writing the words that He has given you? Have you asked God what does He want you to write and aligned those words with what He said? As we complete our projects, it's good to do a heart check and make sure that we are doing everything that God desires for us to do. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know from experience that the majority of my writings came from the most vulnerable places in my heart, things I didn't want to write, but what God wanted me to write. With fear and trembling, I pushed through and obeyed which has freed me to grow continuously as a writer. It's very important that we are passionate and purposeful about what we are writing. When we love what we do, it shows naturally, no matter how many times we try to get in the way and abort the process. The beautiful thing is, God always meets us where we are. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

 
So for the next month, take this time to pray, reflect, and continue to write about what God is speaking to you. Stir yourself up in Him, delighting in His word, and letting His voice guide those pens.  God is all about completion (3), order (12), and love (16) hence, the date for the upcoming workshop (3/12/16). In John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Christ commands us to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. How do we do that? By sharing the Gospel as well as our stories.

As I close, in honor of Black History, I would like to leave you all with two encouraging quotes from two authors:

"As long as we are not ourselves, we will try to be what other people are." -Malidoma Patrice Somé (Of Water and the Spirit)

"When you know your name, you should hang on to it, for unless it is noted down and remembered, it will die when you do." -Toni Morrison (Song of Solomon)

Also, be sure to check out Just Write's upcoming events:

Blessings,

~Lequvia Ousley~