I is for Impact by Carol Harrison

 

I is for Impact

The driver of the large old model car ran the red light and pieces of my car scattered over three lanes of traffic on impact. Even though this happened years ago and no one was injured in the accident except my car, the memory remains. The physical impact also impacted my emotions and left me reliving the moment for awhile after.

As I thought about I is for impact and its obvious memory of an accident with one vehicle slamming into another, we impact the people in our sphere of influence every day with our words, attitudes, and actions. Our impact in their lives can be positive or negative but it’s there.

The words we write, whether a short piece or novel, poetry or devotional, reach beyond our immediate circle of influence. We may never know the impact our words have on a reader. They may be intrigued to read more of our writing. What we write might instruct someone else, inform others, inspire them, or allow their imaginations to take flight and land them in another time or place.

I know reading has always left an impact on me from the time I first learned to read. I loved to escape and live vicariously through the adventures of others. I even enjoyed reading the encyclopedia set to increase my knowledge. I guess some would have called me a nerd or whatever slang term was in fashion at the time.

There have been times when life is difficult or illness keeps me from reading anything too deep. Studying is out of the question when my asthma flares up. Yet I have picked up a light Christian fiction and seen truths portrayed through the characters' lives. I’ve taken a look through their eyes at the world around and found myself having those ‘ah ha’ moments. Have you experienced that as well?

Sometimes looking at life through a character’s eyes brings new insights into our own lives. We are given a moment to apply what we learn to our own situations. As I contemplated how I is for impact, I was reminded of the responsibility we have with our words, whether spoken or written. We need to write the truth even in our made-up stories or other worlds we imagine and bring to life. Once words are out there, we can’t take them back.

At camp I’ve used the illustration of a tube of toothpaste. It’s easy and quick to squeeze out the contents but getting someone to try and stuff the paste back into the tube is an impossible task. So it is with our words. We speak them and they encourage others or knock them down. We can apologize for pain they inflict but the memory remains. Our written words remain for many to read. What they say will impact them in one way or another.

May our prayer be that of the psalmist in Psalm 19:14

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.”

 

Carol Harrison writes from Saskatoon, SK. She wants to encourage others to look for those glimmers of hope and glimpses of joy in all the circumstances of life.

 

 

How to Fight the Distractions ~ Wendy L. Macdonald

 

A recent nudge from God I received during a worship service goes well with this month’s topic. But first, let’s talk about the writing prompt Sandi Somers gave us for August. It has the potential to propel us forward in our projects if we tap into what works well for our writing journey. 

~

Here’s the prompt by Sandi Somers: 

“August: Fight the Distractions 

Our world is filled with distractions—technological, commercial, and more—that keep us from focusing on our writing and the important things in life. 

How have you dealt with (or currently are) taming the frenzy of distractions? 

How do you pay attention to what’s important, being attentive and engaged?

How do the Lord’s nudgings propel your writing and life forward?”

~

Today I’m sharing my worst weakness and my greatest strength as a writer. Maybe you can relate. However, writers—like all people—are unique individuals. Work habits that work for one writer may not work well for another.

Each writer also has unique strengths and weaknesses. My weakness is that I’m easily distracted at the beginning of a writing session. To curb distractions, I usually write in the early hours of the morning. My phone is muted and turned over so that it can’t interrupt me. I use my laptop offline and keep a paperback dictionary nearby, so I have no reason to Google anything. I’m prone to wander down information trails. 

In fact, before I started the first draft of this article, I researched stuff about the Royal Family because I was intrigued by the youngest member’s adorable antics. The reason I fell down that rabbit hole was that I was researching osteoarthritis due to a flare-up of pain that woke me several hours sooner than my alarm was set to go. YouTube has more rabbit trails than the Queen has Corgis. (The suggested videos are cleverly devised to distract.)

My strength is that once I’m onto a project I can stay at it for hours. I can easily ignore hunger pains, nature calls, and whoever walks into my writing room.    

Each writer is also unique in how they determine what’s important in their writing journey. Most of my life choices are sifted through the sieve of quiet time and journaling. Writing out prayers helps me focus on what matters most. My prayers are prompted by what I’ve read in the Word each morning. God’s word is perfect for purifying motives. The why behind our writing matters. My why is to inspire faith that overrides fear. 

When I submit my fear to God, He gives me power, love, and serenity to overcome hard stuff. The wisdom and comfort given to me aren’t for hoarding, they’re for sharing. I share them through writing. Living in a state of submission to God’s will makes it easier to hear and heed His nudges. Sometimes a simple suggestion to take a break and go outside and enjoy some fresh air ends up being the source of a perfect prompt needed for a new project. 

Falling out of submission can also be a writing prompt—as was the case for a recent newsletter I sent out. Sometimes readers are more encouraged by how we rallied after a derailment then if we avoided sharing our weaknesses. I’m regularly thankful for the Apostle Paul’s humble and honest transparency.  We each have a thorn or two to contend with. 

The writing life, like the Christian walk, doesn’t just happen in allocated places either. We can worship God in a garden as deeply as we do in a church sanctuary. We can also compose sentences and plots outside the writing room: in the shower, in the woods, and at the dinner table when someone says something funny, poignant, or profound.

Being attentive to the words of God, others, and ourselves leads us to write deeply and bravely. Fearless writing that’s written from a place of vulnerability makes readers feel less alone. If we fear looking less in the eyes of others, our words will have less impact too. When we worry about our pride less, we’ll build others up more. In this age where there are so many words being published and launched into the world each day, the best reward is most likely the only recompense we’ll receive amid all the competition out there—the reward of having someone say, “Thank you, I needed that.”      

If we can tame distraction, harness what’s important, and heed God’s promptings often, we’ll be fruitful Kingdom writers for His glory. And others will be thankful for the words He wrote through us.

We’re never going to attain perfection on this side of heaven. But if we aim for it, our work will be better. And our readers will be better for it too. 

Now it’s time to share the God nudge I recently received during a worship service at church. He gently but clearly told me that He opened a door for my writing so that I would minister to His people. I was not to belittle nor neglect my calling. God reminded me I was to serve Him first. And the way He has for me to do so right now is through writing.  

For inspirational writers, to write is to serve.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NIV

Bold writing blessings ~ Wendy Mac

P.S. I’m nosy-to-know what your greatest strength as a writer is? (Continuing to do what works is as important as discontinuing what doesn’t work.) 

Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and podcaster who loves to photograph nature on Vancouver Island. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.” Her main website is where she enjoys interacting with readers.

A WRITER'S MORNING PRAYER - by Joylene M. Bailey

 

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of you, let my first impulse be to worship you, let my first word be your Name,

let my first action be to kneel before you in prayer.

(John Baillie)

Father, I give back into Your hands all that You have given me:

My gifts and talents. 

I rededicate them to Your service, they are Yours to use as You want, Father. They are Yours, Christ Jesus. All these are Yours, Holy Spirit. 

May they bring You glory.

My passion.  

Use my passion for words to keep me searching out the right words for the right moment, that they may be like apples of gold in settings of silver. Let them be faithful and arrive true at their destination. 

My purpose.  

O Lord, speak through my words today. Thank You for making use of me to fulfill Your mighty purpose for the world and for my neighbour. Let me be a channel of Your love and compassion to those within reach of my words. Fold Your purpose for my writing into Your ultimate purpose, that my words might bring You glory.

My perseverance. 

Help me to persevere when the writing is hard, when the trials and urgencies of the day keep me from the page. And when I have to be away from the writing, may the thoughts and ideas keep percolating so that when I return, Your voice is the ink flowing onto the page.

Keep me mindful that writing is a gift and a privilege. May I never take it for granted or make it an idol.

You alone are worthy.

O God my Creator, accompany me into this day with Your blessing, and may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Amen

~~~~~

Joy writes from Edmonton where she lives with The Cowboy and very-soon-to-be-married Babe. She is appreciating the prayers of John Baillie, which can be found in the classic, A Diary of Private Prayer. 

Find more of Joy's writing at Scraps of Joy.

Photo by Tom Henell on Unsplash