God Never Said, "Ok ya'll, I have enough people!" - by Mary Folkerts

 

Sometimes it feels like the world is already so saturated with words that adding mine to the mix is like throwing a bucket of water into the ocean. Who will even see what I write? How can my writing make a difference?

A few years back, I had the opportunity to go to a She Speaks conference for writers and speakers. The whole weekend was full of encouragement and inspiration, but the following are a few pieces of valuable advice that really resonated with me.

1. We all have a place at the table with our different gifts and talents. No two writers are the same, for we all come with unique personalities and stories, which God wants to use for His glory. As one of the presenters expressed, God has never said, “Ok y’all, I have enough people!”

2. Have a right heart before God. Ants can take down big trees! I must not let the little ants inside my soul destroy what God is growing inside of me. I must be humble, remembering that this is God’s doing, not mine.

3. Growing slowly is good. Jennifer Dukes Lee used the illustration of a cornfield. One does not reap the field the same week you plant it!

4. A lamp cannot burn without oil. I can have all the right tools, but if I don’t depend on God’s Spirit to work through my words, they don’t carry His power, no matter how fancy they are.

5. “Walk with a limp and show Jesus as the healer!” Hosanna Wong

Our job is to faithfully use our words to point others to God, even if our audience is only one soul in need of encouragement.

He redeems my brokenness,
redefining my story
as His story,
using my weaknesses
to speak to the one
who feels her weakness
too heavy to bear.
He puts wings to my words,
flying them to
the one
who needs to feel seen.

There’s no need for measuring sticks,
comparing,
competing,
shuffling for position.
There is always more room,
room for every story,
every heart
to reflect His glory.

It’s when my pride rides in
on a high horse
saying it is I
who has done this thing,
that I am felled like a mighty
oak on a windy day.

Oh Father may I be
on my face before you,
humility and awe
the position of my
daily choosing.

 

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 member of Proverbs 31 Ministries' COMPEL Writers Training, 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/