I’ve shared pictures of my personal devotional journal for some time now, but I’m sure over the past few months, some have noticed a decided absence in posts. There’s a reason.
They became incredibly personal. Part of it is pride, I’m sure, but a lot of it is just that not everything should be put out there for the world to see. And most of those entries fell in there.
It all started with the weeks leading up to the release of Highlands. We did some experiments with that book, and frankly, they flopped. I sold record numbers of the book, and didn’t even cover my expenses (because of our experiments). Discouragement hit me hard. That’s not normal for me, by the way. I tend to be a “roll with the punches” sort of person.
I asked the Lord for guidance, poured out my concerns, my doubts, my hopes in that journal. And then it happened.
Emails began trickling in. Emails that said things like:
This is a long way of saying thank you for what you do. God has used you to bless me.
It will make you wonder. It will make you think. It will make you re-evaluate
HIGHLANDS vividly illustrates how the attitude of the heart colors the world around us.
This series really makes me contemplate if I am enjoying the life God has blessed me with to the fullest. A great friend is one that makes you strive to be a better person, and this book does that, it makes me want to better.
Yes, many of those entries are from the reviews. That’s because most of the emails I received are so hugely personal, I could never share them. Some wrote of trying to grapple with ideas of defects and how they affect our lives–how Tony’s journey helped them see things in different lights. Others wrote of the pain that suicide victims leave behind and the raw emotions that smother loved ones trying to make sense of it all.
People emailed to thank me for writing the book. Thank me! I always feel like I should be the one thanking readers for spending their time and money on my petty little offerings, and I get letters of gratitude?
So, it took a little while to see the big picture, but I truly believe the Lord had a bigger plan for Highlands than I could have ever imagined. Thankfully, other books make up the financial difference, and it all works out in the end, but even if it didn’t. Do I care?
Reading an email that says, “I cannot tell you how I needed the very encouragement you wove into that story just as I opened it. Reading it changed my life. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve thanked the Lord for your writing. It brought me back to the Lord.” (used with permission), is what my writing is about. I write to encourage the body of Christ through fiction.
The Lord is good to me. All the time. Even when I can’t see it… or perhaps ESPECIALLY when I can’t see it.
Yeah, devotionals are the pits… but working through them with the Lord can also draw you right back out again. Thank you, Father!
Thank you for sharing. It isencouraging. I agree with your “especially”
…and this is the very thing that makes you special, Chautona. I may be wrong, but I believe if you could not help others with your writing, you would stop writing for lack of fulfillment. There is no amount of income that can make up for the joy of helping another person know the Lord or encouraging fellow-believers in their walk with Christ. That is what you do, and as long as you help others find a closer relationship with the Lord, God is going to take care of you and your family. Even when the experiments flop and the expenses aren’t covered, God has them covered because God is not limited to the possible!
In Matthew 14, he fed 5000 men besides women and children, with just a little boy’s lunch (5 small loaves and 2 small fish), and the disciples gathered 12 baskets of leftovers. In Matthew 15 he fed 4000 men besides women and children with just 7 loaves and a few fish, and they gathered 7 baskets of leftovers from that meal.
God’s wages for those who love and serve him go far beyond what mere money can do, and he provides for our financial needs also as we follow him. I’m praising the Lord with you Chautona! I appreciate you.
Didn’t I tell you there was much good about Highlands? You wrote what God laid on your heart to write, and as a result, people were blessed. He will fill the empty spaces and bless your finances as you continue to be obedient to His direction.