I read a blog post the other day with the compelling title One Thing Every Writer Needs, by Janet Kobobel Grant of Books & Such Literary Management. Ms. Grant talks about the importance of “belief” as an essential component for any writer and she defined belief in the context of believing in oneself, having others who believe in you, and writing as a calling.
That got me to thinking about calling. What is my calling? That can be tough to figure out sometimes. We may have many different things in life that we are passionate about. For me, I absolutely love being a wife and mom. Those are and always will be at the top of my priority list, but what about other areas of my life? How do I determine what I should be doing when I love to do so many things and those things are so different from one another? For me, the challenge is how do I reconcile my different interests which all touch on my professional career, but in vastly different ways. Merriam Webster defines calling as a “strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work.” Ms. Grant writes regarding writing as a calling, “The ones who thrive best under the heat lamp of the publishing industry are those who believe they are called to write, that they must write, that life would be so much less if they stopped writing.” According to that definition, writing is my calling. But what about everything else?
I think that is one of the best things about being a writer: writing can go across many interests. I have always been a writer and in each of my jobs having that skill has always helped me to be successful. As a teacher I could develop my own course curriculum, as well as develop course curriculum for courses within my areas of expertise for others. In my small business, Golden Cross Ranch, I wrote all of the text for both our website and for all of the extensive instructions that come with our trail obstacle plans. As a test engineer, I also did the documentation for the test sets I built and created. I was a Certified Testpoint Application Specialist and taught a seminar on the use of Testpoint test and measurement software. I created the book that we used in those seminars. Currently I am a contributing writer to Design News, where I use my writing gift to write about my experiences as a test engineer. On a whole different level, I have been able to use my writing abilities to create a ministry book for starting an ESL ministry for local churches that many churches in our area have utilized. I have also used my writing gift to write inspirational messages that comfort and encourage. Upcoming writing projects include both a sci-fi novel and a nonfiction book to help couples understand and successfully cope with the effects of prostatectomy.
Ms. Grant also writes, “You know that writing is an expensive task: It requires all of your heart, soul and mind.” While I may be called to many different things in my life either out of passion for an activity, a need to minister to a hurting friend, or taking care of family, I am grateful that every experience I have adds to the richness of my knowledge. Perhaps by using my pen to record those experiences I can be a blessing to others, just as writers across the ages have blessed all of us with their unique interpretations of the human condition in all its many forms. It does indeed require all of your “heart, soul and mind,” to write, but I believe that is what any calling is all about. On the flip side, when you are living your calling, you are living who God created you to be and there is no greater joy than that! It was very exciting for me to realize that writing is a calling that encompasses all of the areas of my life. You may want to take some time to reflect on your own calling and see where it fits within your present activities and the things you are passionate about. You might just find that you have much to say on some topics that it had not occurred to you to write about previously, but would be a great way to respond to your own call to write!
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