“Fall is a time when old leaves are shed and trees are left bare for a while. In another season the trees will sprout new leaves again. In much the same way, we sometimes need to shed old ways in order to prepare us for new beginnings. These seasons leave us feeling bare and vulnerable, yet these times are necessary in order for the new ways to sprout.”
I remember these words that came from a former InScribe member, Melanie Fischer. She touched on a topic we can all relate to: the unproductive times, the sometimes agonizing, soul-searching times in our lives.
Several years ago I faced a major winter season (both literally and symbolically). I was exhausted from an overly-busy summer, then my sister Karen passed away. We knew her time to meet the Lord was coming but didn’t expect it so soon. I didn’t have time to grieve before going on a mission trip to Bolivia. It was a complex trip—a delayed flight in Dallas-Fort Worth caused us to miss our connecting flight in Chile. Baggage left behind caused an extra delay. And so our time helping Quechua villagers high in the oxygen-depleted Andes Mountains was abbreviated.
Shortly after returning home while driving at dusk, I hit a deer. Although I received no injuries, my car was a write-off—and the unfortunate deer lost its life.
All this left me physically and emotionally depleted. Writing was difficult and I couldn’t complete most of the items I had planned to submit. I faced the questions that had been niggling in my mind for some time: Did this mean THE END for my writing? And more importantly, did God actually want me to write?
God brought across my path the exact meditation to answer my questions. In her book, An Artist’s Book of Inspiration, author Astrid Fitzgerald wrote, “There are times when artists have to go backstage…This withdrawal is no small thing and takes great courage and integrity. The fear of ‘losing the edge,’ of never working again can be very frightening. There is a sense of doubt and loss…” Yet these unproductive times are times to rest, reflect, and gather spiritual and emotional strength.[i]
Looking back now, I see that God graciously provided the gift of time to grieve, to rest and heal. To meditate on His Word. To trust Him for all I didn’t understand. To give me a deeper understanding of His sovereignty and care in all the events that happened. “(God) renews my strength” the Psalmist said (Psalm 23:3, NLT). He spoke encouragement, peace and promise, new treasures in the darkness of that winter.
God also infused me with confidence that He was renewing my writing and preparing me for something new. This time did not mean THE END. He gave me a promise, “Is there yet any seed left in the barn?...From this day on I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19 NIV). The Spirit also softly whispered to me, “I will show you the way.”
And God did show me the way. He rekindled my desire to write. The next summer I felt as though my writing took a great leap as new ideas began to flow—words that brought a deeper message of peace and a more beautiful reflection of Christ’s work in me that would touch the lives of my readers.
PS. And on this Thanksgiving Day, let us be grateful for God’s presence with us, for sending Jesus to die so that we may live, His many blessings, and more.
[i]Astrid Fitzgerald, Compiler and Editor, (An Artist’s Book of Inspiration, New York: Lindisfarne Books, 1996), xiv.
Sandi
lives in Calgary, Alberta, the delightful city between the Rocky Mountains and
the Prairies.
(Top) Photo by Sandi Somers
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