Reason to Write by Sandi Somers

Easter greetings! This Easter Sunday I'm reminded of the Easter liturgy:

       

He is risen;

He is risen indeed

I thought it is so fitting to combine the Easter Sunday theme with one of Jack Popjes' reasons to write—a must-read here.

Our local Spring WorDshop theme is "Reason to Write", and so we've asked our writers to reflect on this topic.

As I write this blog, my major reason to write these last few weeks has been to complete a research paper on the ways professional counsellors and church staff can coordinate better care for those traumatized or with PTSD.

There are so many other reasons to write and so many individual perspectives, that I asked my InScribe Writers’ group members to give reasons they write. Here's an overview.

The major reason  given was to process life. Through journalling we can resolve personal issues, make sense of our experiences and articulate our thoughts. It helps us integrate ourselves: matching our inner and outer lives with who we are and who God made us to be. In writing, we communicate our journey with God, with prayers and devotional thoughts.

Then our group said God has given us the gift of writing which we need to develop. Doing so helps us express creatively our words and our avalanche of ideas. For some it's a pleasure to simply play with words.

We write to help someone else, to stir people, encourage them, and bring joy. We can enlighten the world for others and can change the world. We can convey a message, to inform and persuade.

Further, we write leave a legacy. Some leave a legacy for their family; others leave a legacy in published works.

And that brings me full circle to Easter. We write to communicate what God has done in our lives, especially because of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

In conclusion, how do you relate to this theme? What meaning does it have for your faith and writing? (If you have already attended a WorDshop, we would love to hear what insight you garnered from the sessions.)