In the SHAPE of My Words by Brenda Leyland (Guest Post)

"Because right now, there is someone

out there with

a wound in the exact shape

of your words."

Sean Thomas Dougherty, American Poet

A single word can turn someone's day around. A single sentence can change a person's life. And it can go either way—for better or for worse, depending on what's been said, and how.

The words leapt from the screen to my heart when I first read Sean Dougherty's quotation on Goodreads not so long ago. They buoyed my spirit, and my writer's imagination soared with possibility. For there isn't one among our company who doesn't yearn over the words we write and speak—hoping even a few will be that glove perfect fit for someone's wounded heart, bringing light and healing to it.

So why, when I later read the lines a second and third time, did I feel sucker punched in my inward parts? Did I misread it? What if the poet meant something opposite to my first thought—something unthinkable, but possible in my fallen humanity, and more to my sorrow, something probable. When Sean Dougherty said someone has a wound the exact shape of my words, did he mean that I have words that match the wound to make it whole? Or did he mean it was my words that created the injury in the first place? Dear Lord, it hardly bears thinking.

I scrambled to find the whole poem, I wanted to see its context. Found elsewhere online, it comes from Dougherty's poetry collection The Second O of Sorrow. It turns out, this one sentence is the poem, and when I read the title, which is phrased as a question, for me it felt clear:

"Why Bother? Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words." (The poet recites the poem HERE)

I breathed out a sigh of relief. As a writer I long for my words to deliver messages of hope, joyfulness, and encouragement. I cringe remembering occasions when my impatient, insensitive words rushed in where angels feared to tread—ruffling feathers, agitating minds, and bruising tender hearts. In the middle of the night those sharpish words haunted, and my heart squeezed to think how unkind, how unlovely, how unlike Jesus they had been. Lest I spiral downward feeling the awfulness without hope, He graciously brought to mind occasions over my lifetime when my words had, indeed, poured like ointment over someone's aching heart—what joy I felt at those times in being an instrument for good. 

I do believe my instinctive first response to Dougherty's poem is right. No matter the poet's original intent, both possibilities are now etched on my mind. I cry out for mercy... and grace. For myself, and for anyone else who seeks it. Like the Psalmist calling out to his God, I yearn for the words of my mouth—and from the nib of my pen—to be acceptable in His sight (see Psalm 19:14). That they will affirm and be gracious, lovely and good, and will in no measure demean or belittle any soul.

The poet looks me in the eye and asks, "Why bother?" I mull my answer carefully. Because the words I write, shaped with sensitivity and His divine love and inspiration, will one day exactly fit someone's wound and bring healing to it. Can anything be more joyful and enriching? Can a writer aspire to anything more worthy and excellent?

Top Photo Credit: Image by CDD20 from Pixabay

Permission granted to use the poem "Why Bother?" by Sean Thomas Dougherty, published in The Second O of Sorrow by BOA Editions, 2018. 

Inspired by the beauty of God's world, Brenda blogs at It's A Beautiful Life. A longtime member of InScribe, she's been a past recipient of the Barnabas Award, a contributor and columnist in FellowScript magazine, and a contributor to the InScribe anthology 'Christmas: Stories & More'. Brenda's joy these days is to play with words and shape them into beautiful thoughts for good.

 

Seeing and Writing with “New Eyes” by Sandi Somers

 

It all began in March 2020, when COVID locked us in from many events and contacts with people. That included church attendance. While I watched services online, I needed more for Sunday morning, and so I decided to go bird watching. I first visited Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary where I had taken my first birding courses in the 1980s. Memories of walking the paths and discovering birds new to me flooded my mind, and I felt as though I were back in those years, breathing its summer air, and feeling its warmth. 

That first morning of birdwatching in 2020, I felt a great nostalgia for those days. But soon I realized I couldn’t live in the past. I needed to build new and meaningful memories.   

I seized every sunny Sunday morning to go birding, frequenting pond and lake sites that I had visited in early expeditions. In the exhilaration of early mornings with the sun peeking over the eastern horizon, my spirit worshipped God and the wonders of His creation: “How majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1,9 NIV). 

That year, I took time, leisurely focussing my binoculars on the distinguishing visual features and actions of the birds, and then, sitting on park benches, I carefully checked my bird books and chatted with expert birders who guided me in identifying new-to-me birds. Once home, I journalled many of my weekend adventures and drafted articles and devotions, some of which have been published. 

As the weeks went by, new visions of Alberta’s natural history spurred me on. That’s when Proust’s famous quote became a major turning point for me.  His “voyage of discovery” means we shift our sights and "look at the details of our lives with a scintillating freshness"[i], Introduction  Sometimes we don’t realize how God gives us important gifts from our own “back yard” so to speak, even during times of restrictions. 

Eugene Peterson, pastor and author, asked his readers: [D]o we take what is right before us in our own backyard and sink our lives into what is already given to us, enter into the intricacies, the endless organic relationships that make up this world?”[ii] 

To see with new eyes, you need to “(a)bsorb everything you see and hear and feel and touch - or rather as much as you can. Harness all your past experiences and turn them into your writing”[iii] The deeper we pay attention to details of our lives, God will give us newness in what previously seemed ordinary or even restrictive. He will give us a fresh perspective that brings richness to our writing. 

Discovering the same landscapes with “new eyes” that year meant much to me as both a nature lover and as a writer. When I discovered Proust’s quote, I posted it on my fridge to remind me of 2020 when seeing life with new eyes means finding new freedom and expansiveness to write with newfound treasures from what before had seemed ordinary. 

---

[i]Lilburn's introduction to Don Domanski, Selected Poems, 1975-2021 (London: Xylem Books, 2022).[ii]Eugene Peterson, Eat this Book: Conversations on the Art of Spiritual Reading), Grand Rapids MI: William B Eerdmans, 2006), 44-45.  

[iii] Source unknown

S is for Silly Me ~ by Brenda J. Wood

  

Silly me, I should have kept that deadline.

Silly me, I should have entered that contest.

Silly me, I should have checked my spelling.

Silly me, I should have finished that novel.

Silly me I ……. (Fill in the blank)

 

Silly means weak-minded or lacking good sense; stupid or foolish (Dictionary.com)

Thesaurus.com gives 53 other ways to say silly. Some of them are too silly to mention but here are the highlights:

childish, crazy, frivolous, idiotic, irresponsible,

ludicrous, nonsensical, pointless, preposterous,

ridiculous, simple, empty, irrational, stupid 

sheep-headed, asinine, brainless, empty-headed,

featherbrained, ignorant, muddle-headed,

illogical, immature, witless. 

On our worst day, we are not any of these things. Why do we continue to speak untruths into our minds and hearts? We tell ourselves these things while knowing deep down that they aren’t true.

“We use negative drama to scare ourselves out of creativity.” (Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way, page 141)

For as he (or as a man or woman) thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

As a Man Thinketh is a self-help book by James Allen, published in 1903. It was described by Allen as "... [dealing] with the power of thought.”

It was the publishing date that really caught my attention. (Don’t be fooled by later publications.) 

This truth has been visible for years. Isn’t it time we grabbed onto it for ourselves?

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. (Psalm 112:7)

(But do we specialize in giving bad news to ourselves?

How different would our creative life be if our thoughts lined up with this verse?

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things. Philippians 4:8

 

Brenda J. Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.

S is for Social Media ~ by Wendy L. Macdonald

 

For writers who are also introverts social media can be a dirty duo.

I get that.

If our goal is to get traditionally published, divulging our dislike of using social media can get us canned. (I may or may not have learned this by experience.)

I don’t think social media is detestable. It’s like a seasoning that’s best used in moderation. It adds zip to an author’s platform. But too much time spent on it can overwhelm the writer and dilute their ability to write long-form projects. 

An emotionally exhausted author can’t create well when her well is dry.

Using social media to enhance a writer’s platform looks different for different personalities. An introvert with a limited supply of social spoons must find out what works best for her. Social media is about serving our target audience without making ourselves targets for overwhelm.

One person’s formula is one person’s formula. It can also vary throughout the year. For example, I cut back on my posts because I was teetering on the edge of burnout. Posting once a week on my main platforms restored my love of sharing and renewed my genuine love for my followers. (I didn’t have the heart to take a full sabbatical because I didn’t want to alarm my devoted readers. I love them.) As it turned out, posting once a week is my sweet spot for using social media. If I sense a nudge to add more posts in the future, I will.

What does serving your audience look like?

Serving means sharing what we've learned our followers like best. Mine prefer flower photography and encouraging words. Staying away from politics or other divisive topics serves well too. There’s a place for those things. At present (and maybe always), my platform isn’t it.

Social media is also a place to socialize. Several years ago, I stumbled upon what works best for me. Since I find the home feeds overwhelming, I often skip them and simply visit back those who recently visited my page. It helps me be social without getting exhausted. I do this mostly for Instagram and X.  

Social media is a wonderful way to find good reads we may otherwise miss. Think about the last few books you read. How did you find out about them? When I get to know and admire an author via their social media presence, it often leads me to download a sample chapter of their latest book. If that goes well, I buy it.      

Social media is a great way to discover readers and what blesses them best. Once we realize what passion of ours meets their needs the most, we’re wise to focus on it. I regularly pray that the words on my posts glorify God and encourage readers. It’s wise to invite God’s help. Always.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 KJV   

What do you think of social media? What do you love about it? What do you find challenging about it? I’m nosy to know.

Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and YouTuber who loves to do nature photography on Vancouver Island. Her happy place is making junk journals to sell in her Etsy shop. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.”