November: Encourage Each Other
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11
We are writers together in God’s kingdom; what a blessed place to be. This month share how you have been encouraged, stimulated, and motivated by others to write, or how you can be an encouragement to fellow writers.
I write because I must. Thoughts flow from my brain to my hand to paper or screen. Writing clarifies my thinking and gives my emotions an outlet. I write for myself, for my sanity. I also write for others. I write to connect. Blogposts mostly, some devotionals, and currently, a memoir. How do I know if I'm making a connection?
On my blog there have been some nasty comments with pointed remarks that make me wonder if it is someone who knows me in my real life. Perhaps not. Those comments scrape me a little, but do not cut me. I have learned to delete and ignore them. Now I have comment moderation enabled so that no one else has a chance to see them.
Conversely, when someone says they enjoy my writing, that they find my words beautiful, or challenging, or interesting, that they provoke some sort of emotion, I am thrilled. Recently I received a private message from someone I do not know. She wrote, "I wanted to let you know how much I like your blog and IG. I hear encouragement in your words. Your messages are uplifting at a time when we need it most." My heart was softened by her words.
So often I think I am sending words into the void. But there are people reading my words, finding solace and encouragement. Is that not also why I write? To assure people that no one is alone, that we gather around a common table, that we live life together. That grace and mercy flow in an unending stream and God's heart is always for us. That in this world of brokenness there is healing and wholeness.
As I am encouraged by others, I also want to affirm the words of other writers that speak to me. Reading inspires all sorts of emotions, from laughter to tears, and joy to sorrow. Telling a writer how their words have affected me encourages them and makes me thankful. Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl in hiding during WWII wrote "I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn." Anne never knew how many people would read her words. She wrote for herself, but intended one day to publish. Sadly, her life was cut short and she never saw the impact her diary would have on the world. I wish I could tell her how much I enjoy her book, and how it has made me think. Let's not lose the opportunities we have to encourage other writers.
Lorrie writes from Vancouver Island where the leaves alternately
fly off the trees in golden sunshine or lie sodden on the ground
under rainy skies. Excerpts from her memoir, Life is Short but Wide
can be found at SubStack, and her slice of life writing at her blog.
Her writing can also be found at
