It's not unusual for me to want to come
up with a catchy phrase or acronym to help focus on a goal. It's also
not unusual for me to use my gift of taking scripture out of context
and apply it to my scenario.
“So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let all those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. 2Corinthians 8:10-12 The Message
In the above quote Paul writes to the
Corinthians re their intended financial gift, but when I read this
verse a few years ago it jumped out and applied itself to a writing
project. In pondering 2018 and goals the verse came back to me and
once again I apply it to a writing project.
Over Christmas my husband and I were in
N Africa, and every time I visit my daughter and her family I come
with away with an urgency to to pray—especially for their ministry
and the daily challenges they (especially my grandchildren) face
living in a Muslim culture. Focusing on prayer is always a good start
to the year. After starting with the idea of Prayer I began to
play with the P words ... and more goals for the year popped
up.
Pursue inner Peace It is a
pursuit. Thou wilt keep him in Perfect Peace, who's mind is stayed on
thee. As I pray my mind will be focused on God, and my peace
increases. As my peace increases I can extend it to others. Recently
I heard a pastor reference Paul's frequent salutation of “grace and
peace.” He challenged us to respond to situations with a simply
reply: someone cuts you off in traffic—Grace & Peace,
You're put on hold—Grace & Peace, someone gets under
your skin—Grace & Peace. My husband and I have tried it
on each other a few times. It's helpful.
PRAY
Partnership—after being solo
for a decade, I have husband to consider ... we are learning to do
things in partnership. Thankfully I am partnered with God in this.
PRAY
Practice His Presence-being
aware of God at all times throughout the daily activities.
PRAY
Praise & thanksgiving.
Living in gratitude and giving praise to God for all his goodness.
PRAY
Power—a reminder to myself
that we are given the same power that raised Christ from the dead.
(Can I really grasp that? Why do I still struggle?)
PRAY
and Publish? Publish-how did
that get into here?
Susan Barclay, in her January 4th post,
aims to finish her first draft of a novel, even if it lies on the
shelf somewhere ... and Joylene Bailey responded that this thought
also released her from the pressure—just finish the work, move on
and let God guide for the next step. Well, I haven't got a novel I'm
working on, but I do have a short manuscript from before life got
crazy and I got married. While taking the creative writing course
through U of C a few years ago, we submitted our final project. It
was to be the beginning of a longer work, or a completed short work
intended for possible future publication. And here it sits on my
computer waiting for such a time as this. At the time my preceptor
for the course told me she hoped I would publish it. Perhaps this is
the year to do something with it? That is a scary thought. But an
idea has already come to mind: to have a certain number of copies
printed to give as gifts to my family, and close friends. The
manuscript Becoming is a collection of prayers, anecdotes and
declarations of hope ... a series of inspirational notes to move
forward in life.
PRAY
So how do I sum up for my goals for
this year?
Prevail and Persevere ... Keep
at it. It is easy to get discouraged as all these things have been on
lists before. What makes me think this time is different?
PRAY and then
Plan—I need a scheduled plan
to make this happen. Daily I want to commit to thirty minutes of
prayer and initially I thought thirty minutes of
Proprioceptive Writing. Then I realized that the writing part needs more flexibility and Prayer is the focus. Perhaps
I need to partner with someone to keep me accountable?
There is a plethora of possibilities
that I could proceed with Panache ... but even better to proceed with
PRAYER.
I like how you used so many 'P' words to express yourself. Very 'homiletic'. (I like doing that, too.) Also, in case you didn't know, InScribe has a fairly new initiative called 'Writing buddies' which matches people up with an accountability partner. If you're interested email me - VP@inscribe.org - and I'll tell you more about it!
ReplyDeleteWriting buddies are wonderful but so are prayer partners. It's a great plan to have. I look forward to hearing more about how your plan has unfolded over the next while. Encouragement is the best thing for us. "Keep at it!"
ReplyDelete"The Heart regulates the Hands," really caught me. As did "Grace & Peace" So often I'm reactive rather than responsive and I can see that bit of advice helping me :) Also what is Proprioceptive writing? Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jocelyn, for your positive and powerful message about finishing up what we've already begun. Your focus on 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 in view of one's writing came up strong for me too. I can identify with your conclusion that this scripture, especially as translated in The Message, is apt for our writing for 2018.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!