Walking with Christ is the most interesting journey! The Lord amazes me time and time again with the blessings of the Christian life. Those blessings often come at unexpected times and from unexpected places. For me, they have often come because others have stepped out of their comfort zones and taken a leap of faith.
Donna Woods has been journaling and writing her prayers for years. These written prayers are a legacy to her children and grandchildren of her Christian life. A few years ago, Donna listened when God tugged on her heart and taught an Introduction to Journaling class on Wednesday nights at church and began organizing journaling retreat.
I thought the cabin sounded really interesting and I like to do new things, so I signed up, never intending to really do anything with it. We headed to Olney on a wintry Friday afternoon and stayed in an adorable cabin in the middle of the woods. We were only a few miles from home, but it seemed as if we were states away. We talked and ate, talked and ate, and eventually settled in with our journals. Donna introduced many types of journaling and then we grabbed our brand new notebooks and pens and began. We put our prayers to paper, following the acronym ACTS- Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supposition. The words flowed and we wrote until our fingers were about to fall off, and I loved it!
God was also speaking to Julie Short during this time. Julie had discovered after the death of her only child, Kyra, that writing was one way of coping with horrific grief. While attending a Christian writer’s conference, Julie began to sense a need to encourage others to use their words for God’s glory. So, as the journaling class ended, a writing class began, using Write His Word by Marlene Bagnell as our guide. We have been writing ever since.
What fun this has been! Each of us has grown in our individual Christian walks, and we have bonded in a great way. We are learning that words-even our words-can have an impact on others. Each of us has been through some typical and not-so-typical life experiences, and we hope to use the lessons we have learned to help others. We know first-hand the comfort, solace, and encouragement that a sincere word can bring.
None of us may ever write a bestseller or even write something that is read by more than a handful of people. That isn’t the important thing. Perhaps our story will encourage others who are feeling a nudge from above to step out and use their talents. Just one or two people can bring so much joy to the lives of those in their sphere of influence. I am so grateful to Julie and Donna for enriching my life.
Don’t cheat others out of the good things God may have for them by being afraid to follow his nudging in your life. You may be the person God uses to start the snowball that changes everything for an individual or the world. One thing we know for sure, Christ has given the Body of Christ the gifts needed to overcome the “wisdom” of this world.
Maybe God will use you to write something that will make a difference to men and women searching for meaning in all the wrong places. Don’t hold back your gift from those God is waiting to bless when you share what he has given you.
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