“I’m aware that this ‘job’ of mine costs money and time, and I sometimes question whether I’m doing the responsible thing with both.”
Have you ever wished that God was a little more obvious with his direction in your life? I think we’ve all joked about wanting God to send a postcard in the mail telling us what to do in a given situation.
Well, this past Sunday, I experienced something similar to that, and I had to share!
First a bit of background. It’s probably not a revelation to learn that the term “starving artist” has been coined with good reason. I’ve definitely spent more money on my books than I’ve made. I’m thankful beyond words for a husband who is supportive of my dreams and gifts. He has never made me feel like I should give it up, even though I’m not exactly contributing to the household income 😉
Still, I’m aware that this ‘job’ of mine costs money and time, and I sometimes question whether I’m doing the responsible thing with both. I mentioned something of the sort to my husband recently, focusing on how I dislike telling people I’m a writer because there’s always a reaction, usually of amazement, and as an introvert I get uncomfortable. It only adds to the awkwardness when they automatically think a book = space on the shelves at Barnes and Nobles and a spot on the bestseller list.
My husband made it abundantly clear that I should not feel that way and that he loved to tell people his wife was an author. As comforting as that was, there remained that sliver of doubt inside that maybe God doesn’t really need me to spend time writing tales of dragons and leprechauns 😉
Sunday after church I found myself sitting in my Jeep, while getting gas. Because it’s still 1750 degrees here in Texas, I put my passenger side windows down about 5 inches, aware that some homeless people were nearby. I was alone because my husband had another commitment.
Glancing up from my perpetual Words With Friends game, I saw a man wearing a T-shirt that made me grin: “Ya’ll Need Jesus” it read. Next thing I know, he’s at my passenger window. I glanced up and waved him off, assuming he was asking for money.
He said, “I just wanted to tell you, you’re very beautiful.”
Great. A flirty panhandler, I thought. “Thanks,” I said, dismissively.
“I bet you’re a writer.”
I jerked my head up and looked at him. “What?”
Had I heard him correctly? There must be hundreds of jobs more common and fitting for a woman wearing church clothes and pumping gas than WRITER.
“What do you do?” he asked.
I blinked at him. “Actually, I am a writer.”
He gave me a wide smile. “Well, how do you think I nailed that?”
“I’ve no idea.” I grinned back in amazement.
“I guess you look like a writer.” He shrugged. “Okay now, you keep on writing, y’hear? Take care.”
And he left.
I sat there stunned, aware that such a ‘lucky guess’ was next to impossible. A shiver pricked my skin as it sunk in that God Himself must have sent this man to me. It still gives me a thrill of wonder to think about it, and makes me melt a little to understand how kind and personal God is to have orchestrated this encounter–Jesus shirt and all!
When I told my husband about it, he reeled back and shook his head, perplexed as I felt. He believed, as I do, that this wasn’t a happy coincidence or a good guess.
I’m a writer, ya’ll.
I’m supposed to paint pictures with words and bring dragons and leprechauns to life. I’m supposed to pray my way through plots, lose sleep over deadlines, and craft stories that show the bigness and beauty of God.
He told me so!
I’m humbled, blown away, and EXCITED to move forward without second guessing myself any longer.
Have YOU experienced God moments in your life? Please tell me about them 😀
Hallelujah! Praise You, Jesus, for loving on Heather, confirming Your path for her, and making her feel secure, SURE, and confident of part of the path you have for her. YOU ARE such a personal, loving Lord. And all I can do is praise You!
Yes, and amen! He’s amazing.
Amen!!
I know I’m so grateful to have found your books. You’re my favorite author and your Tethered World series is my favorite series!! Thank you for sharing your creativity and writing about dragons and leprechauns. I totally relate when I think about the fact that I write about fallen angels, vampires, sirens, and unicorns! Anyway, I hope you write a prequel series so I can throw more of my money at you. ☺️
Safari!!! That blows my mind. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. And yes, God cannot be put in a box! I have another friend who writes redemptive vampire stories as well 😘. Thank you!
Wow – what an inspiring story! I’m glad you are feeling reinvigorated as a writer!
I don’t know if I’ve had any experiences with such clear-cut moments. Most have mine have been in hindsight after the pieces fell in place and then we looked back and clearly saw God’s hands.
Like when God laid it on my husband’s heart to apply for a state scholarship for our daughter. I was 100% convinced we wouldn’t qualify – that her disabilities were too minor to have a chance at state funding. But she passed and that scholarship enabled us to enroll her in a private school that has taught her to not only read but to enjoy reading. (She’s halfway through The Flaming Sword, btw. And she loves Zander as much as I do! <3 )
Or when we bought a house and then my husband's job began to fall apart and we wondered why God had allowed us to buy a house if we were just going to have to scramble to sell it and move, in a town where homes sell so slowly the house we had purchased had been on the market for 3 years. And yet we had it under contract in less than two weeks, with buyers who asked if they could close in 3 months (perfect timing for our needs), and a job lined up in Florida (where I had given up trying to return to).
Ah! Yes! That kind of orchestration has God’s fingerprints all over it. It’s just a different kind of obvious. It takes hindsight to see it because of all the moving parts. So encouraging, thanks for sharing 🥰. Also, I’m thrilled that your daughter is loving FS.
Isn’t cool when God so clearly steps into a situation like that? I’ve had many of those. One of the first came on a trip to the Philippines. We flew into Manila arriving at about 11 pm. Our flight to Davao left at 4 am. The ticket stand did not open until 2 am so Bonnie and I had to wait. Even though it was late, it was hot and the waiting area did not have air-conditioning. It was also full of people like us waiting to get back to the gates. So I asked God if there was anything He wanted me to do. He pointed me to a young couple leaning against the wall about 50 yards ahead and said “Go tell them I know their pain.” fearful of looking foolish I decided not to follow thru. At 2 am we got our tickets and could enter the gate area. There were 16 gates and ours was gate 1. I sat at the gate and asked God if there was anything He wanted me to do. Yes, find that couple. I felt guilty and decided to look kinda hoping I wouldn’t find them. That looked like the case when I could find them in gates 2-15. With only one gate left my odds of finding them were quite small. I entered gate 16 and in the very last row of seats there was the couple. I couldn’t say no a second time so I walked up, sat across from them and said “This may sound strange but God told me to tell you He feels your pain.” The man’s mouth flew open and hit the floor and stayed that way for the rest of the conversation. The woman teared up and asked “are you a pastor?” I said no just a missionary. Then she told me what this was all about “We are on our way home from burying my father.”
Wow, that’s so amazing! God is so kind and loving to have used you in such a way! Thank you for sharing.