Stretching for Atrophied Writing Muscles - Pamela Mytroen

I've been on a mission to get some of our former contributors to do guest posts this year. In many ways, it's like these contributors never left. Here is a 'guest' post by Pamela Mytroen. Enjoy! 

Have to admit, I'm a wimp. I shy away from reading or writing non-fiction because it forces me to take a close-up look at my life and I don't always like what I see. Ever wear those little make-up glasses and see all the wrinkles on your face as you are applying eye-shadow? Yeah, I stay away from those too. Who needs to be reminded of your own mortality? Writing is like that for me. It exposes the scary stuff in my life. 

But I have to write truth. I must address what I see happening in society. I can't walk away from the blind people at the edge of the cliff. God and I have had a few conversations about this "calling", and I remind Him often that I am not equipped to point out the downward trends of our broken world - it depresses me. I am not brave enough to take on the powers of darkness - it scares me silly. And I am not strong enough to be transparent about my current heartbreaks - they crush me. Yet I cannot get away from the constant niggle in my noggin that I must write about these issues. It follows me everywhere and meets me before I get there - this notion that I will regret these years if I don't fight the fight, and that my little sprinkling of salt needs to be shaken out out of me. It just might create a thirst for Living Water. 

Forgive me, but it just hurts so much to write and now my writing muscles have atrophied because writing is so much more than a clatter of words on a keyboard - it is all about surrender. It is putting on the glasses, facing my downfalls, my 'wrinkles', and allowing God to have His way. I still feel intimidated by my own fear and shortcomings but God is gently working on me. It appears that He has not given up on me and now He's telling me to start stretching. 

This is my goal, therefore, for 2016: I will stretch as far as the first two letters, S and T. 

I will Show up and I will Trust. That is a stretch for a seized pen. I plan to Show up to my long-neglected blog at least once every week, and I Trust that God will meet me there. I am not prepared to fight any great fights or wield any amazing words or expose the disappointing details of my life, but I will show up and Trust that God will enable me to spell out life, and light, and shake me up just enough to sprinkle a little salt on the page. 

And if I see the wrinkles or shake with fear, at least I will be in a community of Truth-Seekers and Salt-Shakers. Maybe they will help me keep that posture of Surrender as I begin Stretching once again. 

Check out my blog at pamelamytroen.com and see if I am showing up!

Pam Mytroen

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If Pam could spend all day in her kitchen baking pies, brownies, and making turkey dinner for friends, she would. But Murray Pura once told her to write first and then bake—advice that she is trying to stick with these days, except, of course, when her grandchildren stop in for milk and cookies.