Are you ready to tell your story? I asked myself on our way to church. Trepidation filled my heart.
It was Pentecost and we had a guest minister in the pulpit. Since we live just north of Asheville NC, my husband and I had time to attend Sunday services before driving to the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in Black Mountain later that day.
Everything was packed and ready to go. Clothing for five days. Toiletries. Medications. Water. I also included a formal dress for Awards Night and a farmer’s outfit for Genre Night. And, of course, I took along samples of my writing, One Sheets illustrating my book ideas, and my book proposal. I was ready . . . except for my confidence.
The opportunity to meet with editors, agents, and publishers in a beautiful mountain location is a writer’s dream. But it’s also anxiety provoking to a closet introvert trying to act like an extrovert. I’d been to writer’s conferences before and knew what to expect–five solid days of interacting with others nonstop (except when sleeping). My stomach rolled as I tried to take relaxing breaths.
Lord, is it worth all this angst just to tell my story?
The answer to my internal question hit me with force as the pastor looked straight at me and said:
“We all have a story to tell. Tell your story . . . then let the Holy Spirit do the rest.”
These words rushed over me like a mighty wind. The pastor couldn’t know his sermon was written for me. But God knew. He knew the exact message I needed in that moment. My hands shook as I dabbed the tears spilling from my eyes. How could I forget this guiding principle?
Even though I know from personal experience the power of the Holy Spirit, so often I fail to call on Him for help. I work diligently on a project only to fall on my face in exhaustion when my efforts don’t produce the desired results. I vowed then to break this habit. No more feverish activity without praying first for Holy Help.
So, right then and there, I laid all my writing (symbolically) on the Lord’s altar. Like the loaves and fishes brought to Jesus before the feeding of the 5000, I brought my offering for Him to multiply. Certainly, I still had jitters when I pitched my book to people at the conference, but my attitude was different. I wasn’t alone. The power of the Holy Spirit sustained me.
I didn’t leave the conference with any mighty miracles but I’m confident that good will come of my efforts. God will multiply this work when it’s ready. In the meantime, I’m still responsible for polishing my writing and honing the craft so my offering is the best it can be. But after I tell my story, the outcome is not up to me. I must trust in the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.
The words of the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi while in a Roman prison. Philippians 1:6 Message Bible
