If you read my last post you know I’m not in a good place right now. Then to top it off, I came down with a cold. Welcome to my pity party. Lol!

But time waits for no one.

Back in January, I signed up for a pitch appointment at a writers conference in mid July. The novel I want to pitch had only a few chapters written. I told myself I would give up the appointment if I wasn’t finished by the end of June. Since then I have only rewritten the first chapter a couple of times. Life, self-doubt, and indecision kept me putting off writing.

Determined to accomplish something, I told my writer friends that I was giving my self the month of May to reach my goal and asked if they would hold me accountable. When I got off the call I figured out I would need to write around a thousand words a day to finish my book.

May starts in two days! In my mind I’ve already failed before I even get started. Man oh man! That is not the way I want to approach this.

Then, praise God, I opened an email this morning from a writers group that had an encouragement for overwhelmed writers. In it, this writer compared the mass of information when learning the writing craft to the metaphor of how you eat an elephant. She went on to present this scripture:

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This verse reminds me of another—

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I can’t just listen and learn. I need to put it into practice. Practicing one thing until I get it right and assimilate what I’ve learned into ease of use.

Obviously these scriptures address kingdom life, but let me use another saying, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Meaning that God’s truth works. For…

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love that! God prepares and equips us with His word for every part of our lives, every good work He sets us to do. Go back to that first verse—the promise—“the God of peace will be with you.” Overwhelm will dissipate when we work alongside God.

One last passage for the road ahead:

Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong. Then you will find the healing refreshment your body and spirit long for.

Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭TPT

I so want to find His healing refreshment. Time to shift my mindset and trust in the Lord. Amen? Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

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