She has denied her gifting for too long. And today is the day to take it back.
You have made her a writer but she sits on her hands.
Pull her hands out into the light and show her what she needs to see to get them moving.
Father, she is afraid and so many of us can relate.
But there are far too many real and looming threats in the world. May we not let our own giftedness be one of them.
Because the truth is, though she sort of fears her own failure, it is the threat of success that looms most heavy. And that is a weight too great to bear.
So bear it for her, we pray.
While she wonders this morning if she has what it takes, remind her of the truth of the Gospel: that Jesus came to live and die and rise again so that He could be with us in every inadequacy. Even in this.
Keep her from taking herself too seriously.
Protect her from comparison, self-doubt, and discouragement.
Be to her a kind companion as she inhales peace and exhales confidence in the form of one word on the page.
And then another.
Do not allow her to write from a frantic place of hurry.
Remind her to be kind to herself when she hurries anyway.
And be her peace.
Slowly change her definition of success, reminding her that anything that helps her to become more fully herself is never a waste of time.
As she stumbles into a sloppy beginning, through a confusing middle, or an anti-climactic ending, remind her to celebrate progress even if it’s messy.
Help her to put words on the darkness, the fog, the questions, and the discomfort because those are the experiences for which we most need words.
And if she cannot find the words? Be her wisdom and patience to listen and the faith she needs to believe the words will come again once more.
“These are the words in my mouth;
these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
God, Priest-of-My-Altar.”
Psalm 19:14, The Message
Download and print this free writer’s manifesto and keep by your desk as a reminder.
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