A Joke on Me!

“You called me to write, Lord, but nobody wants my stuff. I guess I’m just not good enough.” I pushed my manuscripts aside and grabbed my car keys. Maybe hanging around the Christian Book Nook for a while would cheer me up. 

Unfortunately, my downcast mood followed me. In the store, I drifted wistfully past the novels and began picking half-heartedly through the devotional books. One pierced my blue funk with a spark of interest. I read the first devotional, sampled one in the middle, and turned to the end of the book. The last piece quickly pulled me in. I devoured it.

“Wow, Lord, if only I could write as well as this author, I’d really be getting somewhere!”

I flipped back a page to the byline. Really? I began to chuckle. The joke was on me. I had been admiring my own piece!

Yes, I still have a lot to learn. Writing and marketing manuscripts isn’t easy. But these days when I’m tempted to feel depressed about my progress, I remember how God once encouraged me with—of all things—my own writing.

After all, if the God who called us to write believes in us, who are we to doubt?