What Really Matters

While many authors will never win a Pulitzer for literature (particularly yours truly), we all aspire to that coveted list: the NY Times Best Sellers. It is akin to winning the literary lottery and the idea that success means huge sales and a large bank account sucks you in the moment your book goes on sale. I know better, and yet the siren still calls.

Of course, all authors write in order to have their book read, but for the Christian author their audience is dictated by their genre and ultimately by God. A wonderful book just released by Terry Burns and my friend, Linda Yezak, Writing in Obedience, confirmed this insight. In Lions and Other Things (Why I Write), I explain how I came to write this particular book, And Then Came a Lion. Terry and Linda validated that experience. I am not alone in this regard, as their book clearly illustrates. I have joined the ranks of thousands called to write for the Christian market. Some receive a calling while others offer their work to Him. Both are following His will.

God had a bigger hand in this novel than I did. Trust me. I can't even begin to explain the nudges and sudden insights that moved the story forward to completion and He will also ensure that it lands into the hands of the right reader, or if I am lucky, readers. Sounds pompous, but it's true and Terry and Linda's delightful book confirmed that as well.

Had I not read their book, would my attitude have changed? Would I have written something different? No, yet we know God will confirm His will in many ways, and this is one of those confirmations. Of course God wasn't finished, He went one step further.

Terry and Linda also emphasize the importance of writing from Biblically sound principals. I was confident I had. This morning God confirmed that as well. After receiving my hard copy of the book, I have been reviewing it and last night I read the section where the heroine, Susannah, faces a test of faith. I quote a scripture passage as a forerunner of a small miracle, and yes, this morning that very same passage is among my devotions.

And so, whether the book has an audience of one (thank you, Terry), or hundreds, I did what I was asked. The story is completed and I have released it into God's hands.

My job now? Keep writing. After prior experiences, I know better than to ignore His nudges. He won't send in the clowns, He'll send in the lions and they certainly get my attention - every time.