Today, I killed a man and tranquilized a tiger. Please don't call 911. I only did it on paper. I am excited to say that I have 1000 words on my WIP (work in progress for those who don't know the lingo).
The first day of a new resolution is easy. You are excited. You are determined. The second day - not so much. To be completely honest, I didn't feel like putting in my hour of writing today. It's rainy and dreary outside. I was tired. My eyes popped open about 6:20 a.m. and I laid there thinking up excuses to sleep in a little longer. I could get started later. I could write later in the day. But I recognized them for what they were - excuses.
So I hauled myself out of bed, stuck my glasses on my face and padded down to the other end of the house to put in my 30 minutes of exercise. Then I ran kids to school. When I got home and sat down in front of my computer, my brain felt like it was wrapped in cotton wool and I longed to crawl back into my warm bed and have a little nap. (sleeping is one of my favorite pastimes after all)
But I knew if I did that, if I gave up today, I would be defeated. I would, in a word, be disobedient. So I poured my cup of coffee and spent 15 minutes warming up my creative muscles with some free writing by hand. I know it is terribly old fashioned of me, but I do still like to write by hand. There is something about the feel of the pen moving across paper that inspires the creative in me. But I digress.
Then I opened up a word document and started to write. I finished one page and felt the urge to stop but I pushed on. My time limit was not up. I ended up with 1000 words of what is now my WIP - a zoo-based mystery that has been rolling around in my head for over a year now.
And it felt really good. You know how you feel when you get out of a car after a long trip and you stretch? That was the feeling I got from yesterday and today's writing sessions.
I have felt, for the past couple years, smothered by circumstances. They just seemed to tumble on top of me one after another, until I felt suffocated. However, an interesting thing has happened when I have obeyed God and started elbowing a space for my writing out my day - I can breathe. I feel alive. I feel joyful. I feel fearless. I certainly feel intentional.
That feeling stayed with me all day yesterday. There was a rather nasty surprise in my mailbox that I wasn't expecting in the afternoon. It seemed rather dire at the moment, but I read it and then took a nap. I knew God would handle it. He promised to. My only job was to obey and then leave rest up to God. I still felt alive, joyful and fearless. The beauty of obedience is the blessing it brings into our lives in the most unexpected ways.
As I finished my Bible study this morning, the verses Priscilla Shirer had us read in Ephesians brought tears to my eyes. They were so full of life for the believer. I'm going to leave them here with you, so that you can enjoy them too.
"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to His riches of His glory, to be strengthened by the power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breatdth and length and heighth and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21
God is not stingy. He does not give us just enough. He gives lavishly and abundantly more than we can ask. We just have to obey and follow Him.
~ Blessings, Bronte
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