Looking Back, Looking Ahead by Lorrie Orr

 

September's Prompt...

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

It is a wonderful promise of God that each day is a new beginning to experience his faithfulness. As autumn activities start afresh in churches and schools, September can be a time to reflect on how the previous months have gone and to set new intentions for the months ahead. How has your writing life progressed thus far in 2025? Are you encouraged to move ahead?

The sun has moved from winter to spring, followed by summer. Now the sun sinks lower on the horizon and summer turns slowly into autumn. A new energy fills the air. In many ways, September seems more like the start of a new year than January. We grow up beginning the next grade in school, with new clothes, freshly sharpened pencils, and a stack of clean notebooks. It’s a good time to reflect on the past months and to set new intentions for the season ahead.  

One of my assignments for a class taken at Briercrest Bible College in the 1970s was to set goals. We began with a lifetime goal, then five-year, one-year, and monthly goals, if I remember correctly. I thought the assignment rather useless at the time, because who knew where I would be in five years? However, I thought long and hard about my lifetime goal, wanting something short and succinct. In the end I settled on adapting a portion of the Westminster Shorter Catechism - "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." To glorify God with my life became my motto. More recently I've begun thinking about the other part of the catechism - the part about enjoying God.  

In Zephaniah 3:17 I read 

The Lord your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.

How wonderful it is to know that God delights in me. I can walk through my days knowing that He loves me because I am his child. But to turn the tables, how do I enjoy God? 

In all of life, my writing included, I desire to please God, to let his grace and love shine through. And when I do, I enjoy his presence and guidance. So as I reflect and set goals, he is right there alongside me, pointing out my accomplishments and encouraging me to keep on when I haven't met the goals I've set. Sometimes he takes me in a very different direction, such as this blog post which is not what I first intended to write. 

Delighting in this year's writing accomplishments:

1. My memoir, Life is Short but Wide, is finished, and is currently being evaluated by a hybrid publishing company. Scary, but joyous. 

2. Nine InScribe blog posts published.

3. Forty-one posts written on my person blog Fabric Paper Thread.

4. Uncounted words handwritten in my journal or typed on my laptop. 

Trusting God with my intentions for the next four months:

1. Edit memoir as needed.

2. Begin a Substack newsletter. Have 10 posts written in draft by the end of September.

3. Tackle the unknown world of publishing with the help of Siretona Creative.

4. Begin another writing project. I have ideas, but am uncertain about which to pursue.      

            

As I plan for the months ahead, I am resting on God’s promise in James 1 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him/her ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach.” Isn't wisdom something we all need. How gracious of God to share his knowledge and wisdom with us. I know that my plans may change and that God is the one who plans my future. As I set my intentions, I rely on his grace and strength to complete them, or to go in another direction. 

 

Lorrie lives on Vancouver Island with her husband with whom she enjoys

hiking, boating, road trips, and staying at home. Life is an adventure.