When I first accepted my illustrating project the excitement wore off as soon as I started to begin the actual work and fear set in. Fear that I couldn’t do it fast enough. I had a lot of learning to do. Learning that had to be done at my own pace. So I set a deadline back in January to have the illustrations done by June. As soon as I gave myself all that time, the fear subsided and I was able to begin the project.
Today I came across a great blog post on The Steve Laube Agency Blog. It was written by Karen Ball and entitled When You Don’t Do Anything At All. She dealt with us writers who are always thinking “When is it my turn?” She’s talks about the unfairness of some who writes a story in a matter of months and suddenly they have an agent and a contract. And if that isn’t enough, their books shoot to the top of the best-seller list. Here’s what Karen had to say about “watching someone else rise when you feel you are on the decline”:
The Creator of the universe, Almighty God, is not bound by what we do or don’t do! He’s not controlled by fluctuations or shifts or seemingly depressing changes in our market, or in any market. He is here, with us, active and at work. And He has his hand on us, on our careers, on our writing. He knows exactly what we need, be it overnight success or long years of perseverance. But His goal isn’t for us to be published. It’s far greater! It’s for us to be used by Him. To show a weary world what it is to be watched over by an “ever-caring” Father. To be His ambassadors, through not just our writing but through our actions and words as we follow this call to write for Him.
I loved the part about “His goal isn’t for us to be published”. Even God knows it’s all about the journey, not the destination. And the journey is where He puts us to the greatest use, which for me, is the goal of life.
I find great comfort in the fact that He has a different path for each of us. It eases the despair when I get the “Why can’t it happen to me?” blues about anything. After reading this post, I’m going to remember that it’s okay if I’m not moving as fast as others – or in some cases, as fast as others think I should be moving. My journey is designed specifically for me. When I taught kindergarten I had a quote on my door that said: “Childhood is a journey, not a race.” Well, so is adulthood, especially when learning something new, or moving on a career path. It’s not a race. It’s the time we give ourselves to get there that is most important.
And so, as another day goes by, I relax in God’s timing, and…I have written.
Leave a Reply