Aligning Myself with His Plan by Susan Barclay

Image from Pixabay

Ha. I didn't post anything in July because for some reason I had this month's prompt in mind and I wasn't sure what to say. I guess the joke's on me.

This month we're asked to address the questions, how do you balance life and writing in the seasons of life and what have you found helpful in maintaining balance?

Good questions! Still not sure how to answer them, but I didn't want to miss three months this year (I didn't post in May because I don't currently have a specific writing space). This will be short!

I guess what I've learned is not to beat myself up when the season I'm in doesn't afford either the time or silence/solitude that I require for writing. I remind myself that this too shall pass and I will write when I can. I do write when I can, which right now isn't often (and mostly for this blog). I also remind myself that the Giver of this gift of writing knows all about my present situation and is allowing it for His own purposes (and, I trust, glory!). I am wise to align myself with His plan and discover all that He has for me. Even though I haven't been journaling (sigh), one day everything I've been through may be a treasure trove of content. Let it be so, Lord Jesus!

_______________________

For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

A Season To Slow Life Down by Alan Anderson

 

“For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:” 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

Words from my doctor

A couple of years ago, while at a doctor’s appointment, my doctor made an interesting comment. He said, “Alan, you are getting older. Your body is like an old steam train engine that is wearing out.” I couldn’t argue with him, and it was something I needed to hear.

In a recent appointment with the same doctor, and after listening to my health concerns, he cautioned me to “slow things down.” I knew I had to take time to process what he meant. He suggested there are responsibilities in life I must now allow other people to take care of. This is a new season for me.

I know that “to everything there is a season,” but there are times I wish this was not so. I enjoyed and poured a lot of energy into helping people over the decades, but that season has passed. Taking on projects around the house was something I also enjoyed, but that’s no longer possible as it once was. This too is a new season for me.

Words from my priest

In November 2025, my wife, Terry, and I began attending an Orthodox Christian church in another town than the one we had been part of for eight years. Driving to our new church is a less stressful drive than the one before. Health issues were the motivation for this change.

In a conversation Terry and I had with our new priest prior to our transition to our new church, we knew we were making a wise move. He confirmed with us we were in a new season of our lives, and our new church was part of this season. He affirmed our move with his words, “You are more than welcome to be part of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church. We will love having you with us.”

This new season

In this new season of life, I now concentrate on the energy it takes to navigate my life at a slower pace. These days employment is not a concern. My children are all grown up and have their own families. Terry and I have a healthy marriage. Charlie, our beloved poodle, although growing older, is a beautiful companion for us. We enjoy good friends and don’t allow negative people to interfere in our lives. We also enjoy and love our church family.

I reserve a lot of my energy these days for my writing. My health challenges have indeed slowed me down, but I still have lots of energy for what I want to write. I also pray to become more skilled as I write in this new season that has embraced my soul.

This present season has drawn me into a more contemplative style of expressing the words I write. The more activist views of my younger years have given way to how I might help people be content with their lives. I leave the results of this to God. I realize I may never have an influence in the world, but I pray at least in my circle of people, including my readers, they will know they matter.

To everything there is a season, and God is aware of each one of them, for He is with us in every matter under heaven. As I look towards the coming winter season of my life, I also seek the glorious season of the Son, the season that has no end.

 

 

In Deroche, British Columbia, Alan shares his home with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. Alan and Terry are grandparents of six grandchildren plus five grandbabies in heaven. Alan enjoys walking on the dike near his home, with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. In summer, however, he loves to hide in the shade from the warm summer sun. Alan is more of a friend of fall. He has occasionally written articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog are https://scarredjoy.ca. He also writes on Substack.

A Time for Everything by Steph Beth Nickel

Pocket Watch Time Sand - Free photo on Pixabay

There is a God-appointed time for everything he has planned, but often, we try to make time for everything we deem necessary (and it's usually all within the same 24-hour period).

We need only take a look at our To-Do list, which for many of us would more accurately be called an I-Want-To list.

Making plans and scheduling tasks is biblical.

And so is surrendering to God's plans, which are often (most times?) different from ours.

The analogy of filling a jar with rocks and sand is a great way to approach our schedule. Those Must-Do's are the rocks. These are the things that we write on our calendars in ink. The pebbles are those things that are important but not necessarily essential. There's room for them around the rocks. And lastly, there are those things we'd like to accomplish and those tasks that don't take much time and can fit in the small gaps between the rocks and the pebbles. These things are the sand.

This makes me think of Stephen Covey's perspective. He wisely says we should deal with the important things in life rather than those that we too often view as urgent.

When it comes time to write and tend to writing-related tasks, "the urgent" may call loudly and try to distract us: notifications on our cell phone, the laundry, yesterday's dishes, etc., etc., etc. Many of these things are sand. They will need to be dealt with at some point but not immediately.

Unless writing is our full-time gig or we have an imminent deadline, too often everything else seems to press in and sitting down in front of the computer or with pen and paper falls further and further down our list.

This month, I had hoped to achieve a lot more writing and revising. However, August's important tasks have not left me with as much time or ambition as I'd intended to devote to the three books I'm working on: one fiction, one nonfiction, and a memoir I'm coauthoring.

Instead...

My hubby and I are getting our daughter's things together in order to drive them from Ontario to Saskatchewan in early September.

I also have two editing projects that I'm seeking to complete before we hit the road.

For a number of summers now, I have been taking photos at our church's summer-long day camp. I've only been taking pictures a couple of times each week since the last week in July, but it's definitely a large pebble, if not a full-sized rock.

So, while I don't have the wherewithal to accomplish all I would like to in the next few weeks, I do know that I am in the season God has chosen for me, and if I ask, he will let me know what his priorities are for me each day.

And that includes any writing and writing-related projects that will bring him glory and encourage my readers.

When we ask for wisdom, he will let us know what the rocks, pebbles, and sand are in our individual lives.

I'd love to hear what you're working on these days and how you make time for your writing.

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2027, Lord willing. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Balance for a Wobbly Writer ~ Valerie Ronald

                                                                          photo credit Valerie Ronald

My season for physical balancing is long past at my age. I can stand on one foot for perhaps five seconds, but that’s it. I grew up near the ocean where, as children my brothers and I would challenge each other to see how far we could walk balancing on beach logs. I recall dancing down the logs, leaping from one to the other, walking heel-to-toe with arms outstretched like a tightrope walker. Back then, balancing was easy.

Balance means something different now. Do I eat a balanced diet? Does my cheque book balance? How do I balance life and writing? This month’s topic prompted me to evaluate how I do both and where I need improvement. Perhaps you will identify with some of my discoveries.

I would rather write than almost anything else. If I’m not in the writing zone at my computer, then I am dreaming up writing ideas and story lines or thinking about how to express a deep topic in a way that readers will understand. But meals don’t get made or errands done if I’m always following my passion. So I need to prioritize and compartmentalize.

Do your chores first, then you can play. That’s what my mother always said. Sitting down to write is easier when the house is tidy and meals planned, so early afternoon is a good time for me to write. It doesn’t always happen, but most days I try to do something writing-focused in the afternoon, even for a short time.

Deadlines stimulate writing, as long as there are not too many. I give prayerful thought to a writing project with a deadline before committing to it. There are so many opportunities I would like to participate in but if I over-commit then it creates stress. In order to maintain balance with writing and life, I need to assess how much I can do.

Be realistic about physical and mental energy. These days it takes much longer for me to do household tasks due to age and physical limitations. I’ve relaxed my cleaning standards, cook simpler meals, and ask my husband for help often. The need for frequent rest provides time for me to think through writing projects. I keep a notebook or my cell phone nearby so I can jot down my ideas.

Serve others first. My husband is in leadership in our home church, so I do as much as I can to help and support him in his ministry. This requires commitment to building into the spiritual lives of our church family, as well as the other roles we fill in our small congregation. As much as I love to write, when a need arises, people come first, whether in family relationships or church connections.

Nurture your relationship with God. Not to be impertinent, but God is my ghost writer. I depend on His Spirit for direction, inspiration, creativity, and more in my writing. Having quiet time with Him in the morning is absolutely essential for all aspects of my life. Often as I’m reading His Word, ideas shine forth or a particular verse sends me on a search that may develop into a full-blown writing project. The writer of Hebrews exhorts, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest” (Hebrews 3:1 NIV).

If we stop seeing our daily life and writing as enemies, and instead let them blend together, giving ourselves grace to face each aspect of our day as a gift from God, then balance will take care of itself.

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction, and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.