“I need some prayer for my attitude,” I told a friend the other day. I went on to vent about some writing-related frustrations, all having to do with things I used to love but now felt disillusioned with.
She waited for me to finish then said something that surprised me: “Maybe you’re outgrowing these things.”
“Maybe.” Inside I screamed, No, I don’t want to give any of this up! I just felt stuck in a rut, like I needed a challenge—someone to trust me with a bit more than the same old thing.
“You know, if we aren’t willing to set aside what we have always done, we don’t have room for new things.”
I knew she was right. I had been writing the same stuff, attending the same conferences, teaching the same workshops for years. Maybe some of it simply didn’t fit me anymore. Like my 11-year-old who grows every time I look at him, life events have sent me into a rapid growth spurt, and I know this is a good thing. I don’t expect my son to put on the same clothes that he wore to school last year just because I like them; why expect that from myself when it comes to writing.
So I am examining what no longer fits me and asking God what He wants me to set aside in order to make room for new things. I’ll confess that I fear He won’t have anything new for me, but considering that I have never forced my son to go without clothes after filling a Goodwill back, I’m trusting that God will be a kind Father and have fresh assignments waiting.
Life has a way of changing us, and this includes our writing style, voice, and audience. Is there an area of writing that you feel you have outgrown? Ask God for wisdom as you decide what needs to go order to make room for what He wants to give you next.
Am I Outgrowing This?
She waited for me to finish then said something that surprised me: “Maybe you’re outgrowing these things.”
“Maybe.” Inside I screamed, No, I don’t want to give any of this up! I just felt stuck in a rut, like I needed a challenge—someone to trust me with a bit more than the same old thing.
“You know, if we aren’t willing to set aside what we have always done, we don’t have room for new things.”
I knew she was right. I had been writing the same stuff, attending the same conferences, teaching the same workshops for years. Maybe some of it simply didn’t fit me anymore. Like my 11-year-old who grows every time I look at him, life events have sent me into a rapid growth spurt, and I know this is a good thing. I don’t expect my son to put on the same clothes that he wore to school last year just because I like them; why expect that from myself when it comes to writing.
So I am examining what no longer fits me and asking God what He wants me to set aside in order to make room for new things. I’ll confess that I fear He won’t have anything new for me, but considering that I have never forced my son to go without clothes after filling a Goodwill back, I’m trusting that God will be a kind Father and have fresh assignments waiting.
Life has a way of changing us, and this includes our writing style, voice, and audience. Is there an area of writing that you feel you have outgrown? Ask God for wisdom as you decide what needs to go order to make room for what He wants to give you next.
By Kathy Ide • The Writer's Life •