November 11

“We must give up all care of our own, by an utter surrender of everything to the Divine Caretaker, and by an implicit trust in him; and then we must just simply let him know our wants and our needs from day to day.  If we do this honestly and persistently, the result will unfailingly be that the peace of God will keep our hearts and minds.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, Daily Secrets, 10/22

It occurred to me this morning that God may WANT me to write children’s stories.  I’ve been feeling frustrated that new stories haven’t been coming to me and that what I have written doesn’t seem that special to me anymore.  Because I’ve focused so much on being published as an indication of whether or not I’m to write, I’ve lost the initial joy I felt when I wrote that first story six years ago. There are many things I could be doing with my time, which I have lots of now that all but one of my children are grown. So, if I could settle whether or not my writing is a legitimate pursuit, I know I would be “freed” to pursue it.  Hannah has reminded me that I must let God know my wants--not because He wouldn’t know otherwise--but because in doing so I will be surrendering them to Him.  Once I’ve placed my desire to write--and even to be published--on His altar, I can trust that whatever happens, happens because He feels it’s what is best.  When I share my stories with others in the class I am taking I can receive whatever criticism they may give because my stories are no longer mine, but God’s.  

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you.  Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.”  1 Peter 5:6, 7