It can be a tricky thing to share your faith through your writing. Each of our journeys of faith are so different, so unique – just as the Lord intended them to be. Our walks with God are deeply personal, and it can be hard to know your own mind, let alone communicate it in a way others understand. Because we all have our own stories, unique to the path God has put us on and how He has made us, we all have something to contribute, something meaningful and insightful to share with the world. But like many things, that can be much easier said than done.
How do you express the ways you’ve experienced the work of the Lord in your life? How do you convey the depths to which Christ has impacted your soul? Our words are often insufficient to share all we’ve seen God do in our lives – His glory cannot be adequately emphasized with human writings. It’s from this place of inadequacy, and confidence that we are entirely inadequate, that we can write truthfully and impactfully.
In her book Walking on Water (which I cannot recommend enough, especially for Christian writers), Madeleine L’Engle says, “If the work comes to the artist and says, ‘Here I am, serve me,’ then the job of the artist, great or small, is to serve… To serve should be a privilege, and it is our shame that we tend to think of it as a burden, something to do if you’re not fit for anything better or higher.” In this case, “the work” is Divine Inspiration, a calling or direction from the Lord to share a word or a lesson He’s given us with those around us. If the work we’ve been given is given us by God himself, who are we to question it and shape it into our own creation? It is a privilege to be chosen and used by our Creator to become creators ourselves and live as reflections of Him.
Our job is not to add to what the Lord has given us or embellish it because we don’t think it’s catchy enough; our job is simply to serve. A few things are required in order to serve well:
- Know Who You’re Serving: Who are you writing for? What are your motivations? Are you writing because the Lord has laid a unique message on your heart and asked you to share it or are you writing for your own glory? If you’re writing about our incredible God, make sure all the glory is going to Him.
- Know What Your Master is Asking of You: You can’t convey the lesson or message God has laid on your heart if you’re not actually communicating with Him. Writing on faith can be challenging as it’s easy to come off as preachy or “holier than thou” to your readers. Truly inspirational writing always comes from a place of humility and service and a deep communion with the Spirit, allowing Him to do all the talking and simply use you as a vessel. Make sure you’re spending time in prayer about your work regularly and seeking alignment with Him. Listen!
- Know How to Steward Your Gifts Well: We all have different skills, talents, and resources that the Lord has given us in this life. These resources are part of what make a story unique and worthwhile. Some people are incredible with words, some are better with paints, others are better in relating to people. Whatever gifts God has given you, make use of those to tell your story, but also don’t be afraid to engage those around you. Let others help you with illustration or proofreading or feedback on clarity. The Lord has blessed us with our own gifts, but He has also blessed us with others around us who are gifted differently than we are – when we come together, this is the body of Christ in action!
- Know You’re Unworthy: Madeleine L’Engle goes on to say, “When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist… When the work takes over, then the artist is enabled to get out of the way, not to interfere.” I don’t know about you, but I’m utterly incapable of whipping out an impactful, emotionally stirring, life-altering manuscript on my own. The ideas and the talent we’ve been given are all from God, and it is a privilege to be part of His work. When we lead with this humility, it allows us to get out of our own way and use our gifts to the glory of God. What an honor. And much like sending Paul, a highly-educated and respected Jew, to share the Gospel among the Gentiles (not the Jews, which seems to be a much better use of Paul’s skills according to human sensibilities), God often calls us into things we don’t feel prepared or equipped for. But when we are successful in things that we should never have even attempted in our own right, it is all the more evident that it’s the work of the Lord. What an incredible witness and opportunity to glorify our Creator.
- Be Diligent: You can know all of this, but until you put it into action, it’s meaningless. Like any learning walk with the Lord, writing is challenging. Even if it’s something that brings you life and joy, there will be days, or even months, where you’d rather just throw your computer out the window – stay diligent. As followers of Christ we are called to be faithful and steadfast, to do all we do as unto the Lord. He has called us to this challenging, maddening life for a reason. Maybe it’s to change others, or maybe it’s just to change ourselves, but either way, we can be confident that it’s for our ultimate good and His eternal glory.
Working hard to make a work the best it can be is the culmination of all of these things. Sometimes it can seem that the messier a work is, the more authentic it is, but well-crafted prose doesn’t mean inauthentic work – it just means that you’ll attract a larger audience and more clearly convey your points. God provides the ideas and opens the doors, all He’s asking from us is our “Yes”!