I know not all of my readers are writers, but many of you are. And those of you who aren’t are passionate about something . . . cooking, reading, gardening. So, why do you do it?
I had a devotional turned down for publication earlier this week (doesn’t that sound nicer than rejected?) and it made me stop and think why I’d written and submitted the thing in the first place. I’m ashamed to say I did it in large part because I thought it might help my writing career. Not because I wanted to touch people’s hearts or deliver an important message. Nope. So I could add a  publishing credit to my resume.
Thank goodness it’s Lent and our pastor suggested we take stock of our blessings and how we use them to reach out to other people. God has blessed me with a love for writing. And sometimes I use it to reach out to other people. And sometimes I use it for my own glorification.
I have often thought that God is waiting until I develop some serious humility before granting me success in publishing my novel. C.S. Lewis dedicated an entire chapter in Mere Christianity to what he called “the great sin.” Pride. I’m afraid I often write because publication would make me proud. Publishing articles and poems has made me proud–imagine what an entire book would do!
So I’m trying to be aware of all the other, better reasons I write. To honor God. To edify readers. To raise up those about whom I write (non-fiction). To put my God-given gift to good use.
So why do you do the thing you love to do?