I Want a Heart at Peace by Mary Folkerts

 

We find ourselves in a conundrum, don’t we? On one hand, we desperately seek emotional and mental peace, yet our actions often lead us in the opposite direction.

I must confess I am somewhat of a news junkie, often consuming more information—whether true or false—than is beneficial for me. Is it simply that I want to know what is happening in the world, or am I attempting to feel a sense of control because, as they say, knowledge is power? However, too much knowledge tends to make me more anxious rather than easing my mind. I wonder if this easy access to information is a partial cause of our anxious generation?

To counter the adverse effects of our stress-inducing information gathering, we try calming methods such as deep breathing and meditation and find some success. However, does this truly alleviate the internal conflict created by our need to know everything and the anxiety stemming from that pursuit? Constant exposure to negative world news and questionable information, layered with personal worries, culminates in more anxiety than ever. I’m not suggesting we remain ignorant or uncaring about all world events, but were we meant to know everything?

Constant exposure to negative world news and questionable information, layered with personal worries, culminates in more anxiety than ever.

What if, instead of our constant need for worldly information, we dedicated more time to learning from the One who truly holds control? What if we allowed God to replace our desire for control in our hearts with trust in Him? The more time we spend with Him, the more we realize He is trustworthy. He ultimately reigns above all worldly kings and rulers, ordaining and ordering all things. In John 16:33 (NIV), we read, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

If we genuinely learned to trust God and stopped pursuing control, would we discover our hearts quieted and our minds at peace? The more time we spend with the God of peace, the more peace we will possess.

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/

New Windows in My Heart by Michelle Strutzenberger

With the deaths of two beloved family members and the choice of my oldest daughter to move thousands of miles away, my heart has taken quite a beating over this past year.

Grief has a way of shaking up the protective structures we wisely build around our hearts.

If I’m completely honest, as I’ve mourned, I’ve failed a few times in keeping the safeguard strong around the centre of my being.

Discouragement has snuck in through the gaps.

Even worse, despair and bitterness have slipped between the cracks on occasion.

I don’t confess this gleefully or with pride. I know how very destructive these attitudes can be to a person’s heart.

Yet though I’ve allowed in worse than I should have, this awful time has reminded me that God can make something beautiful out of anything—even the shaken walls around our hearts.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (ESV).

We may be inclined to think this verse is suggesting that God moves nearer as our hearts break.

However, I find it hard to believe that our good and loving Father moves closer to us as we crumple over in suffering yet stands at a distance when the sun is gleaming, and the soft breezes of wellbeing kiss our lives.

Instead, I believe we can trust that our God and Saviour is always near to us, both through our too-short days of life’s brilliance sparking songs and smiles, and also through our long, long nights of aching and tears.

The difference may be that in the times when our hearts are crushed and broken, God’s nearness becomes more visible to us. The cracks and holes that the pain drills into our hearts’ chamber walls become windows to the Lord’s constant presence and comfort.

When suffering riddles our hearts with gashes and gaps, it can be easy for discouragement and even despair to creep inside.

Yet at certain moments and in different ways I am slowly finding that my time of sorrow can be a window-maker to a truth I can quickly become numb to—that Jesus is still close. As this truth pours over my aching heart, I am filled with gratitude to realize that it brings with it the gifts of new hope and fresh healing.



Michelle and her family enjoy hiking mountains and trails together. She is currently writing a series called, What Growing Up in a Mennonite Family of 10 Taught Me About Survival. To receive the bi-weekly tips, visit this link and subscribe.

Image by Vladimír Elexa from Pixabay

The Shape of a Heart ~ Valerie Ronald

There is a woman who walks beaches and forest trails in search of heart-shaped rocks. Not large rocks, just ones the right size to tuck in her plant pots or heap in a clay bowl on her table. Some are smoothed by the sea and sand, some chipped off a craggy cliff, but they all have the familiar shape of two rounded wings and a downward-pointing tip.

The woman who collects them has a passionate heart, a fiercely loyal and loving heart. It is also a fragile heart, wounded early in childhood then mended by the love of Jesus, yet still bearing scars that go deep. These scars resonate with the scars of other hearts, giving her the ability to connect with those who are hurting on a level most cannot. Because she lives and speaks from her heart, it is vulnerable and sometimes wounded. If not for the love of Jesus holding her heart in His nail-pierced hands, it could easily be broken beyond repair.

Perhaps she collects heart-shaped rocks because she has encountered so many human ones in various shapes, sizes and conditions. They may be a reminder of her own heart which has gone through multiple transitions, yet remains undivided. Like the psalmist, she often prays to the keeper of her heart, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere Your name.” (Ps. 86:11 NRSV)

That is the secret˗˗maintaining an undivided heart, not allowing it to be diverted from loving and obeying God. There are so many distractions and temptations that can splinter a heart, weakening its devotion to the One who made it. He tells us in His Word, “above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life.” (Prov. 4:23 The Voice)

The apostle Paul, whose heart underwent rigorous refining at the hand of God, spoke from his own experience in writing to the Thessalonian believers about keeping their hearts undivided.

~ He wrote of not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. (1 Thess. 2:4 NIV)

~ His desire was for God to strengthen their hearts so that they would be blameless and holy in the presence of their God and Father. (1 Thess. 3:13)

~ His prayer was that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who gave eternal encouragement and good hope, would encourage their hearts. (2 Thess. 2:16)

~ He prayed confidently that the Lord would direct their hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. (2 Thess. 3:17)

The woman who collects heart-shaped rocks is learning Paul’s secret of how to keep her heart undivided. She puts it in the keeping of God. He is the One who tests, strengthens, encourages and directs her heart. Each time she picks up a heart-shaped rock, brushes off the dirt and warms it in her palm, she remembers Who keeps her heart whole and she commits it again to God.


Dedicated to my firstborn child, collector of heart-shaped rocks and soother of many broken ones. She's a singer/songwriter, so here's a link to an at-home recording you might enjoy.

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.

What Does My Heart Say? by Alan Anderson

 

“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

 
“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22 (ESV)

Our Writing Prompt

Our writing prompt for this month reminds me, “The Bible speaks of the heart as the core of one’s being, composed of our mind, emotion, and will. How do you keep or guard your heart? What is it saying to you these days?”

I pondered this question for a few days before I put words on the page. Once I began to write, I found my thoughts kept going in a certain way. The words that came to life in my mind are thoughts perhaps readers will also ponder.

You might have noticed the world is loud these days. Everyone has an opinion. More than this, those who have an opinion seem to have the need for everyone else to hear their opinion. So much noise, so much talking over each other…and they all think they speak the truth.

What Does My Heart Say?

Did I pray well?

In giving thought to this post for February, a few sobering questions came to mind. I would like to share these questions with you.

Dear friends, has your soul ever wept for the world around you? Has the weight of sorrow crushed your heart? There might be times where one’s sorrowful heart has cried out to heaven. Our cry is so deep that it seems God has turned His beautiful face away. Oh my, how we must guard our hearts from such despair.

As I observe the various upheavals going on today, I wonder if anyone knows the way forward. We need prayer. This writer and all who read this message all need prayer to guard our hearts.

We must pray for each other.

We must pray for the world.

In all the noise, confusion, and unguarded heart moments so pervasive today, my tendency is to retreat, to be quiet, to not state my opinion. Believe me, I have my faults, but I also must guard my heart as God’s Word dictates.

As a writer who is also a Christian living in this time of everyone does right in his or her own eyes, I must pause. Pause and listen to what my heart asks of me…did I pray well for the words I send into the world? This is a question I would like to hear the Lord answer some day. Did the tears and hope of my humble words make a difference to anyone amid the noise?

What Does My Heart Say?

My heart says to send words into the world as agents of peace. This simple statement begs a question from me as one called to write.

Did I serve well?

Dear friends, as writers who are Christians, we can offer peace to the world. A peace that passes all understanding, even our own. We must take this in a serious manner. This is how we can serve our call from the Lord to write well. We offer words of peace, love, and harmony, to soften the hearts of people amid calamitous thundering voices.

A Concluding Word

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” Psalm 139:23 (ESV)

This is what my heart says: Did I pray well? Did I serve well?

 

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan is the new BC/Northern Regional Rep for InScribe. His website is https://scarredjoy.ca

What Does Your Heart Say? by Lorilee Guenter

Across from me in the coffee shop sat a lady. Her sweater read, "I wear my heart on my sleeve." On the sleeve a list of names represents people important to her. Without talking to her, I don't know who they are. I only know that these are people who mean a lot to her. She loves them.

I wonder what others see when they look at me. I don't proclaim my affection on my clothes. Do my actions as I sit across from family or friends show they are important to me? My words are a clanging gong if they are not backed up by action. I do not want to be a clanging gong. I want to be a voice in the symphony God is directing.

As summer gave way to fall, I noticed distraction pulling my attention. Instead of leaning in to engage in conversation, I was looking beyond. I was leaning back and letting my thoughts wander. I missed out on true connection. Communication became strained as I forgot how to listen not just with my ears but with my heart. I became a clanging gong.

Noticing my responsibility in the disconnect, I lean back in. I confess that I do not like what was going on. I don't want my distraction to turn my words into discordant noise so I allow God to tune me, to bring me back to where He desires me. I pause to listen. I vowed, with God's help, to set aside distraction. I can not do this on my own. Thankfully I don't have to. The Master Conductor knows what I need so I can sing.

Jesus wore His heart on the cross. As thorns pierced His brow and blood and water ran from His side, He wrote my name. He wrote our names. They aren't written with pencil to be erased. They aren't written with thread that can be picked out. Jesus wrote our names with His life. In doing so, He offered to guard our hearts. He knows that even if we try, we are incapable of consistent vigilance without His help. He knows we need His hand in all we do.

The seasons change, my resolve to connect well is tested. I know the only way it will hold is by leaning in. Today, I choose to trust, to let Jesus hold me close and make my heart sing as part of His masterpiece. Tomorrow, I pray I make the same choice.

Lorilee Guenter is a writer and artist from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She enjoys exploring God's creation. Her hobbies and interests are varied which leads to an eclectic set of books she is reading.

On Love and Bullying - Gloria Guest

I was in kindergarten when I learned what Valentine’s Day and bullying were, on the same day.

The room was abuzz with excitement, as we each gave and received valentines to and from every classmate. I felt so happy each time one of the shiny, bright valentines was given to me. We each had a special bag to store them in and I couldn’t wait to take mine home to show my mom and sisters.

But then Janet, a girl beside me, started one by one, taking my valentines and adding them to hers. I was too intimidated to say no. By the time she was finished my heart was feeling as depleted as the little pile she had left me with. Valentines, I decided, was not so much fun after all, and I had just been introduced to my first bully.

Thinking back, I can’t help but wonder at how my child’s mind tried to comprehend two such juxtaposed experiences; that of friendship and love being combined with bullying and selfishness. It can be hard enough for adults to put them together, even as life experience has taught us they do sometimes come at once. If we are truthful we will admit that it is often the ones we love the most that we also hurt the most. How to understand this?

In James 3:10, James writes, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” How many times have I done this; especially to those closest to me?

This can be applied to our writing also. How often have we written that defensive or angry text and then hit send? Or written an article with a harsh edge we try to ignore? We can think we are hiding a hardened heart but it’s revealed in our tone.

“If I speak (or write) in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” I Cor 13:1. This makes me consider further, how ‘clanging’ I might be sounding to my readers. Or worse, to God.

Just as it was too much for me as a five year old to consider the presence of love and friendship hand in hand with the presence of bullying and selfishness, so it’s hard to wrap my head around the presence of goodness and caring in my words, existing alongside my unresolved issues and self-serving motives possibly lurking behind them.

Christ is our only hope. Paul exclaimed, after detailing how he often wants to do what is good but then does not do it; “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Rom 7:24-25.

Both of those little girls in that kindergarten room that day, needed the help of Jesus; one to understand that she didn’t need to grasp for more love because God already loved her fully and the other to know that when someone hurts her, God's perfect love still exists and He wants to wrap his arms around her to comfort her.

Happy belated Valentine's to all of my Inscribe writer friends. May you too learn to not grasp for more love from those around you and to be comforted by God's love instead, as you endeavor to write from a heart filled with love.

Gloria Guest endeavors to write with a heart of love from the Saskatchewan prairies; which have included many newspaper articles and columns as a past reporter. She is published in two anthologies and is currently working on writing a devotional with the desire to provide hope to those who have gone through life's trials.

Take Out the Trash by Carol Harrison

 

 

Taking out the trash is a never-ending type of job. If I leave it for too many days, it starts to permeate the air with a less than pleasant aroma. I can’t take it out once and say, “There that’s all done for good.”

But what about the trash in my life and in my heart? I often struggle with negative thoughts pushing their way in and cloaking my heart with a dark covering. It blocks creativity and colours the world around me with pessimism. Yet in Proverbs 4:23(ESV) I read, “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flows the springs of life.”

I decided to look more closely at the words like keep and vigilance in this verse. Some translations use the word guard your heart and keep alert. I added those in to the study as well. This allows me more clarity about the meaning and how to accomplish God’s directive.

Merriam Webster defines guard as, “Protect from danger especially by watchful attention. In Biblereference.com it talks about keep, used in place of guard, not in terms of maintaining ownership but referring to maintenance, care, and support.

Vigilance is keeping watch for possible dangers or difficulties and being alertly watchful. So how can I be alert, watchful, and guard my heart and why should I?

In Luke 6:45 Jesus is teaching and says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” I believe this is also true of the words we write. They also come from those well springs of life in the heart, that center of my thoughts, emotions, and will. Temptation is real, pulling us away from what is best for our hearts. God knows all about my willful self and waits for me to come to Him for help in guarding against the negativity and lies of the enemy.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Renewing my mind can only be truly accomplished with God’s wonderful and gracious help. For me it reminds me I need to take out the trash in my life and heart too. What am I watching, listening to, reading?

If I spend too much time on news stories it keeps me up to date with current affairs but it also plunges me into the darkness of depression. Too often it makes me forget that God is still in control and nothing is a surprise to Him. When the negativity takes over, the ideas for writing disappear and I want to escape into more mindless activities.

In Bible Study.com it states, “A God controlled thought life will

           - Govern your speech (Prov. 4: 24)

           - Guard your sight (vs 25)

           - Guide your steps (vs 27)

2 Corinthians 10: 5, “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” God can and does change our thoughts to good and positive when we allow Him to help us. So I need to seek God daily and take out the trash with His help by checking what I am watching, reading, and listening to. This allows me to hear God’s directions about words to say and write. In this way I can be alert and guard my heart.

 

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK. She enjoys reading, sharing stories, and family time but realizes how easy it is to let herself be involved in many mindless activities which she needs to guard against.

A Dentist, the Heart, and Spring Cleaning by Sharon Heagy

 

photo courtesy of Bible.com

When I was a youngster, I didn’t mind going to the dentist. In those pre-cavity days it was an adventure. In my memory my dentist, Dr. Schadek, was a kind and gentle man. His office was in a formidable building with wide stairs and cement bannisters. The whole building was covered in Tyndall Stone, as many buildings in Manitoba and Saskatchewan still are, including the Legislative Buildings of both provinces. It is the only Canadian stone on the worldwide list of global heritage stone resources. It is also a wonderful source of amusement to kids of all ages as one can often find fossils embedded in the surface of the cut stones. Though quite a daunting structure in my mind, Doc Schadek’s office was in a one-story building.

The best thing about visiting the Doc in those days was the treasure chest. If you were well behaved, you were allowed to pick a ‘trinket’ out of the treasure chest. I had no doubt that this was actual treasure as the Dr lived in a castle! His house had a turret and a dormer window! My imagination ran wild.

I saved my trinkets in a safe place and treasured them. Until I didn’t. I grew up and, for some unknown reason, I stopped going to the dentist for several years. Perhaps he retired and we didn’t get another one. It’s a mystery. I cannot tell you what happened to my trinket collection. They must have been tossed as other things took their place in my heart.

Those were the days when I saved and “stored up for myself treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (MT 6:19 NIV) “Where my treasure was, there my heart was also.” (MT 6:21 NIV)

In time, lots of time, God gained my attention as He transformed my heart of stone into a heart of clay. It’s difficult now to remember a time without Him. He changed the desire of my heart from “treasures on earth” (vs 19) to “treasures in heaven.” (vs 20)

His word is life giving nectar to my body, soul and spirit. The guidance of His Spirit whisks me on winds to places I never dreamed of going. My friendship with King Jesus is a treasure to my heart which will never, ever get tossed like trinkets. He blesses me with words to write, not for my own sake but for His purposes. Yet all the above will wither and vanish away if I don’t guard my heart against the treasures of the flesh, of the world.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV) Not just a little bit of vigilance, but with all vigilance. It won’t just happen, we need to make a deliberate choice, or continual choices, to keep the “springs of life” flowing.

Quite some time ago, I read an article that was placed below a beautiful painting of flowered lungs. The written words spoke of scholars and rabbis who believe the letters “YHWH” represent breathing sounds. YH inhaling and WH exhaling. Some say that a baby’s first breath speaks the name of God. Before writing this post, I listened to the sound of a heartbeat. As I sat with my eyes closed, I replaced the ‘lub dub’ sound of the heart with YH and WH. Listening carefully I could hear the whooshing sound of life sustaining blood flowing in the background. The springs of life.

As we sit to write, may we consider how, where and why our words come together. Who is the source, the Head of the river of our inspiration. Are we flowing with the springs of life or do we need a spring cleaning? Though I pray before I write, and will continue to do so, I think I will start praying like the psalmist in Psalm 139 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV) Let Your river flow through me, Lord. Through us. Through InScribe. Amen.

Doc Schadek's Office

Doc's House

Sharon Heagy writes from Rockglen, Saskatchewan, where she lives with her husband, three cats and one very large dog, all of whom bring sunshine into her life. She writes to inspire and give hope, with a chuckle or two along the way.

Write What You Love by Steph Beth Nickel

 

Write What You Know

We've all heard the advice to "write what you know." However, that is only the jumping off point. As writers, we are also researchers, whether formally or informally. Every day we're discovering and observing new things that find their way into our writing.

Should we write what we know? Yes.

Should we always be learning new things and incorporating them into our writing? Absolutely.

Write What You Love

If you're a journalist or a content creator, this may not be an option—at least not during your "working hours."

However, this is just one reason why those who write for a living often make time in the morning or evening to write what gets their mojo flowing, what's on their heart, what they love.

While there are countless factors that determine what we write, there is a sense of joy and expectation when the topic is near and dear to our heart.

When Love is the Motivator

Imagine your ideal writing life.

Writing about a topic we're passionate about and getting our work into the hands of those who are equally passionate (or become so) can fill the proverbial well. (We all know that writing, even about things we love, can be draining.)

Further, writing about a topic we love in an environment that inspires and energizes us and earning a living from that writing . . . Does it get better than that?

Practically speaking, the ideal is rarely our reality, but love can still be our motivator.

As believers, the Lord is to be our First Love. Has He laid a message on our heart and provided a way to share that message with others? When we do so, we express our love for Him.

Are we able to provide for ourselves and our family doing what we love even if what we write about isn't our #1 passion? Creating our best work is a way to express love to our family and others who benefit from our efforts. It's also a way to obey Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (ESV), thereby expressing our love for the Lord as well.

Do we entertain, encourage, and/or educate others with our words? This is a way of expressing love.

The Power of Our Words

We should never underestimate the power of our words.

When life becomes too overwhelming, our fiction can provide a temporary reprieve.

When our readers are weighed down by life's challenges and heartaches, our encouraging words can lighten their load.

When they're seeking direction, our nonfiction can point them to the truth—as can our fiction.

As Christians, we know our readers need to know the One who is the Truth more than anything else. And we can share this Truth no matter what we write.

Is there anything more powerful, anything more loving, than sharing our words with others?

Photo Credit: Heart Hearts Cord Hung - Free photo on Pixabay

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 sometime after her husband retires in the spring of 2025. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Guarding Your Heart by Bob Jones

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

How would you like to be so influential as a writer that the US space program decides to name a landing place on Mars after you? Octavia Butler was a science fiction writer in the 1970s. In 2021, NASA named the Mars landing site of the Perseverance rover the "Octavia E. Butler Landing" in her honour. Why?

Octavia

First, have you ever heard of Octavia? I hadn’t. But I discovered she held a key to how to guard your heart.

I heard of Octavia in January through a podcast, "Redeeming Babel." The topic was Ray Bradbury's science fiction classic, Fahrenheit 451. How eerily similar the content is to what is unfolding in the US in 2025. But that is a topic for another blog. The speaker championed the science fiction writer, Octavia Butler.

Simple research showed she was acquainted with grief of many kinds but never, ever quit. Her father died when she was seven. Her mom bought her a typewriter when she was ten, even though the cost was steep for a single parent. And what ten-year-old wants a typewriter? Someone who would persist in her writing regardless of how many setbacks she faced.

Octavia grew up believing that she was "ugly and stupid, clumsy, and socially hopeless.” She was painfully shy and suffered from dyslexia which made her a target for bullies. The library became her safe place and reading science fiction, her escape. She persevered in her passion to write science fiction from the time she was a teenager.

"I began writing about power because I had so little."

Decades later, her name became synonymous with patience, practice, and persistence. A literary superstar. She shattered expectations and barriers in becoming the first Black woman to be awarded multiple prizes for science fiction writing. Posthumously, a landing site on Mars was named after her.

Octavia’s secret

She guarded her heart.

When teachers interpreted her reading slowness due to dyslexia as unwillingness, she asked her mom for a library card so she could read out of school.

She carried a big notebook to write down thoughts and stories. At age thirteen she submitted her first story for publication. She was over the moon when it appeared in a science fiction magazine.

Despite a lack of natural talent, rejection, prejudice, social anxiety, and setback, after setback she persisted with an optimism that overcame every obstacle.

Persistence

At the height of her career, Octavia, or Estelle as her family knew her, made these remarkable statements: “Forget talent. If you have it, fine. Use it. If you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter. As habit is more dependable than inspiration, continued learning is more dependable than talent. Never let pride or laziness prevent you from learning, improving your work, changing its direction when necessary. Persistence is essential to any writer—the persistence to finish your work, to keep writing in spite of rejection, to keep reading, studying, submitting work for sale.”

She protected her emotional well-being by setting limits with people and situations that would drain her energy.

During her 59 short years, she maintained a kind and empathetic attitude towards herself and others.

There is a lesson in her life for how to engage the toxic social, ethical environment we live in and how Christians in general and writers in particular need to guard their heart while being a voice for justice and mercy.

She challenged me. How does Octavia’s story influence you?

Thank you for reading. Empathetic Christian writers have never been needed more than now.

Listen to the Lord by Susan Barclay

 

This month’s writing prompt talks about the heart “as the core of one’s being, composed of our mind, emotion, and will”, and asks us how we keep or guard our heart. How do we guard our mind? How do we guard our emotions? How do we guard our will?

The mind is a powerful force. Our thoughts direct our actions, so it is important to control our thoughts. While we may not be able to restrain an initial, impulsive thought reaction, we can decide that we aren’t going to continue down that path or dwell in a place of negativity, judgment, or anger. We can rein in our thoughts and redirect them. Scripture tells us to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

Because I have someone in my life whose spirit is often critical, I am frequently reminded of how I don’t want to be. When I find myself responding to others with agitation and irritation (I am only human, after all!), I soon remember to examine my thoughts. Are they true? Are they honourable? Are they right, pure, lovely, admirable? If not, I need to change them. I must recall that my “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). [W]e are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The enemy seeks to stir up conflict and division, but God desires us to have an attitude of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation. Recently my husband shared with me an Isabel Allum video (begin at 22:47) that speaks to this, if you would like to watch it.

Emotions are also powerful and action-oriented. We need to pay attention to emotions because they can represent our gut reaction or instincts and at times can save us a boatload of trouble. At other times they can mislead us and put us in danger. God has emotions and we are created in his image. Having emotions or being emotional is not “bad,” however unlike God, our expressions of emotions are not always perfect or holy. We have a sinful nature and live in a fallen world of volatility, subjectivity, and recklessness. I’ll confess that I haven’t striven too hard to guard my emotions, largely because I struggle to be in touch with them and feel that, if anything, they are tamped down already. I did find a couple of what I think are good introductory articles on the subject. Check out these in PsychologyToday and MyWell Being.

What else is powerful? Our will. Just like our mind and emotions, our will drives our actions. Merriam-Webster defines “will” (noun) as a desire or wish, such as a disposition, inclination, appetite, passion, choice or determination. I once heard it said (or read) that “the heart wants what it wants,” a quote I see attributed to Woody Allen but could have been said by anyone. This is an expression of the will: we want what we want, and we do whatever is necessary and in our own power to make it happen, even if it’s to our own or others’ detriment. So we must guard what we want and seek to align our will with God’s. He has good plans for us to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). We should remember that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). Be careful what you wish for,” the saying goes, because things don’t always work out the way we expect. God’s will is much better than ours; trust in him and he will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Rich Mullins is a favourite artist of mine and I leave you with this link to his song, Maker of Noses, for reflection. I hope you see the relevancy to our theme and enjoy Rich's writing as much as I do.

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c. Susan Barclay, 2025. For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com.