WAITING ON GOD'S TIMING AS WRITERS By Guest Blogger Sharon Rene

Sharon Rene joins us today with an important message for writers--the value of waiting on God's timing.

As a writer, I spend a lot of time in the “wait land.” Waiting for magazines to post their latest theme list, waiting for an editor or agent to read my submission and respond, waiting for the next great idea.

If you’re a writer you can relate, but I think everyone lives in the wait land. Students wait for grades to be posted, employees wait for raises and promotions, parents wait for the children to grow up, and grandparents wait for the little ones to visit. Waiting isn’t fun, and it’s not easy. Especially when we’re waiting for something life altering, such as a new job or the results of a CT scan.

Why does God make us wait? Romans 8:28 tells us that God works for our good, so He must have an important reason. The wait land is a good teacher. Delays, setbacks and disappointments build our hope, patience and faith. They draw us closer to God, and we depend on Him more and more.

What should we do while we’re waiting?

Be happy and celebrate with others. When a friend wins a writing contest, a critique partner gets published or finds an agent, cheer them on. Share in their victories with genuine joy. God says that love is not jealous.

God is not limited in the number of blessings He can bestow. Just because your friend is blessed by winning a contest doesn’t mean that’s one less blessing you’ll receive. We should never underestimate God.

We also need to explore other areas of writing. For example, if you only write fiction try a little non-fiction. Chicken Soup for the Soul’s website lists the types of articles they’re looking for, and this is a good way for writers to develop their skills and share inspiring stories with others.

If you typically write novels start writing short stories too. Short stories are fun and challenging, but can be written while you keep working on your full-length novel. I recently wrote a few flash fiction pieces, and one will be published in Splickity Love’s November issue.

Try blogging, twitter and Facebook pages. Attend conferences and workshops. Take advantage of the classes taught monthly on the ACFW loop, and never stop learning and growing as a writer and a Christian.

As rewarding as writing may be, nothing is as wonderful as a relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to rest in Jesus’s arms. It’s hard for me to rest and let God lead and direct, but I’ve learned through the years that things work much better when I let go.

I have to trust God to open the right doors and close the wrong doors. I have to believe that He has a perfect plan and a perfect will. Life in the wait land teaches us to count on God’s strength, not ours. His creative spirit, His desires, His purposes and His will for our lives are revealed in the wait land.

Life in the wait land is not so bad after all.

Sharon Rene loves to write speculative young adult fiction, children’s short stories, flash fiction, and devotions. Her short story StageFRIGHT was published in the September 2015 edition of the Kid’s Ark Magazine. The Sherriff’s Surprise will be published in the November 2016 issue of Splickety Love.  She is a member of ACFW and works as a legal assistant at a large corporation. Her Facebook page is entitled Creative Grace with Sharon Rene.

www.facebook.com/creativegraceSRD