Thoughts on Writing Worthy–Part One
Words. Choose them well and string them together rightly, and something special can happen. I experienced that phenomenon a couple of Sundays ago at church when we sang Firm Foundation. The lyrics hit me hard in the best kind of way.
They moved me to praise God for who He is and thank Him for what He’s done.
They moved me to remember.
They moved me to pray.
They moved me to hope. (The kind of hope that says what seems impossible is actually possible because of the source of hope.)
Later–after church, lunch, and a little nap on the couch with a cat curled up next to me–my husband and I went on a walk, and our conversation turned to the worship service that morning. Most of the songs we sang that day were new to us, but a few lines had stuck in our brains and touched our hearts. They choked us up. As we continued to walk and talk about them, it made me think, “Now, that’s some worthy writing.”
“Writing worthy” is how my friend Kristy, a gifted writer and journalist, signs off her emails. We met last August when we both attended the GoodLit Writers Retreat (See Aug 20). Kristy is a Kentucky native; I’m a California girl. Our life experiences may be different, but we quickly discovered we share a bond because of Whose we are and our call to write.
As I spoke with her the other day about the phrase “writing worthy,” she pointed me to Ephesians 4:1. The Apostle Paul penned these words from jail: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” The verses that follow speak to how we are to live such a life and talk about using the gifts we’ve been given to benefit others.
Earlier, in verse 2:10, Paul wrote: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Kristy told me that for her “writing worthy” is bundled up in those verses in Ephesians. They’re her motivation and guide as to what and how she writes.
That’s true for me as well!
What’s also true is that I am well aware that what I write may not be well received by those who don’t share my beliefs or resonate with my style or genre, but that’s okay. I’m still to write what I know I’ve been called to create in the way I’ve been wired to create it. That is true whether my work gets published or not, whether it gets “likes” or not, whether others agree or not, whether it benefits one person or one million. Whew! The pressure is off for fame, fortune, and popularity. Of course, affirmation and accolades are encouraging, but if we write what we write or do whatever it is we do–sing in a cover band, bake cakes, lead a team, paint murals–to acquire those things, we will fizzle out because we will never receive quite enough “way-to-gos.” Our motivation to “do” worthy has to come from a place deeper than our TikTok video going viral or even a paycheck.
I try to remind myself each day when I plant myself in front of my computer and get busy writing that all I need to do is be faithful to write worthy. (Note: Worthy does not mean perfect. See Sept 29.) I can trust that God will help and equip me. Then, I can leave the results up to Him, my firm foundation.
Have you read or sung something lately that affected you? Something written by human hands, but perhaps divinely inspired? Something that made you think, cry, laugh, or gain a fresh perspective? If so, do tell.
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“I’ve still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
I won’t be going under
I’m not held by my own strength
‘Cause I’ve built my life on Jesus
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through every season
So why would He fail now?
He won’t.”
-From Firm Foundation
(by Austin Davis/Cody Carnes/Chandler Moore)