Growing Old Beautifully: Lessons From Autumn Leaves
“The time of the falling leaves has come again…How beautifully the leaves grow old! How full of light and color are their last days!” ~John Burroughs
As nature closes the curtain on summer and ushers in the arrival of fall, I’m enjoying the lovely transformation taking place outside my window. The summer leaves are trading in their green attire for the lovely hues of fall, and the colorful splashes of orange, red, and yellow makes even the dreariest days appear bright.
How beautifully the leaves do grow old! Since I’m in the autumn season of life, fall’s arrival always reminds me to pause and reflect on my own aging process.
I’m not talking about physical appearance. I’m accepted the fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin that becomes more noticeable each year. My inner beauty is what I’m concerned about, and I always find room for plenty of improvement.
Unfortunately, many of us in the autumn season of life get too caught up in preserving our outward appearance. Rather than focusing on our inner beauty, many of us are too busy having a mid-life crisis, stressing out about things we have no control over, and trying to preserve our youth.
We live in a youth-oriented culture. Numerous products appear on the market claiming to make us look younger. Advertisements abound for anti-wrinkle creams, vitamin supplements, and pills that boast about their ability to prevent or delay the aging process.
Lets face it, we are growing older each day. No matter how hard we try to avoid the aging process, it’s going to happen. No lotion or cream can stop it. I’m not saying it’s wrong to use moisturizers and take care of our physical appearance, but inwardly is where true beauty starts.
There’s only so much we can do about our physical beauty, but we have a lot of control over the state of our inward beauty. No woman is more attractive than one who has a lovely inner spirit that shines through to the outside.
Do you know an older person with sparkling eyes and a face that seems to glow? Although the aging process has taken its toll on their physical beauty, their inner beauty is so powerful that it cancels out the signs of their physical age.
My grandma Mitchell was an expert on inner beauty. She loved life and was joyful in all circumstances. Her inner contentment and faith shined through to the outside.
And it wasn’t because grandma had an easy life. She was married to an alcoholic and raised five children in an alcoholic home. She had to work hard to keep the children fed, because my grandfather spent what money he made on booze. He became mean and surly when he was drunk. At times, she had to walk for miles with the children to keep them safe. Driving wasn’t an option, because grandma never got her license until pap died.
Grandma became a widow in her early 50’s and remained single until she passed away from bone cancer in her early 80’s. She endured many hardships in life, but through it all her inner beauty shined through. She enjoyed life and always had a smile to greet anyone who showed up on her doorstep.
She was the happiest person I knew, and she wasn’t putting on an act. The light in her face and her rosy cheeks reflected an inner peace and contentment that couldn’t even be snuffed out by the years spent with an alcoholic husband and a rough life.
Grandma aged gracefully and beautifully. Her countenance never once reflected the hardships of life she endured. Those who didn’t know her history would never have imagined the difficulties she endured mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially.
No matter what season of life we are in, it’s never too early or too late to start an inner beauty regimen. We can age beautifully by starting to cultivate some inner beauty basics right now.
Inner Beauty Basics
- Seek an intimate relationship with God and nurture it by praying and reading the Bible consistently.
- Believe and trust that God has a special purpose for you in every season of your life.
- Make God’s word the authority for every choice and decision you make.
- Be content and thankful for what you have.
- Count your blessings every day.
- Choose to love, forgive, encourage, and help others.
- Don’t dwell on the past. Learn from past mistakes and move forward.
- Use the gifts and talents God gave you, and don’t worry about the outcome. God wants a faithful servant, not a popular or famous one. You simply need to be faithful and do the work. God will do the rest.
- Get enough sleep, eat healthy most of the time, stay active, and take time for your hobbies and the things you enjoy. Taking care of your physical body can improve your mental and emotional health.
- Live your life with an eternal perspective. This life is only temporary. Heaven is forever.
When we age inwardly and spiritually well, we will grow more beautiful over time. Our faces will be radiant with God’s love, and our beauty will shine as bright as the leaves in autumn.
How’s your inner-beauty regimen? What areas do you need to work on that will allow you to age beautifully and gracefully?
God, I’m Sorry I Was a No-Show Again Today
In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)
The ringing of the alarm signals the start of a brand new day. I’m exhausted. I guess I should have gone to bed earlier last night. I resist the urge to pull the covers up for a few more minutes of sleep. I want to pray and read the Bible before the busyness of the day sets in.
I walk down the hall to my home office. I decide I should start my computer first. It can be sluggish at times, and it may need time to install any software updates. Once I finish my quiet time the computer will be ready for my work day.
The computer starts and an update needs my attention. Since it will only take a few minutes, I proceed to complete the installation. Then I notice an email alert from a client. It’s a revision request for an article I wrote the previous day. Since the changes required are minimal, I decide it should only take a short time to complete. I like to keep clients happy, so I justify the need to do it now, even though my agreement with the client is a 24-hour turnaround time for revisions.
The day is young, and I still have plenty of time to have my quiet time…
While I’m working on the article, I notice I have social media messages. I better check them in case they might be work related. Answering the messages takes longer than I expected. Then I notice the invitation on Facebook to the family cookout. I need to post what dessert I’m taking and the RSVP date is today.
My stomach starts to hurt, and I realize I forgot to take my medication that I need to take 30 minutes prior to breakfast. I head downstairs to grab a glass of water and my medication. By the time I can eat breakfast, I should have the revision request finished.
With the revision complete, I head to the kitchen to make breakfast. Before I finish eating, I receive a few text messages that I need to reply to. I clean up from breakfast and decide I need to do laundry. It will only take a few minutes to toss a load of clothes in the washer before I sit down to have my quiet time.
While starting the laundry, I realize it’s the beginning of the month and a few bills are due soon. It won’t take long to get them in the mail, just a few minutes.
While outside at the mailbox, I notice my flowers look wilted. I decide I should go ahead and water them while I’m outside. It won’t take long at all.
As I’m walking in the door the phone rings, and I find out I’m getting company for a few hours. They are family, so I decide I won’t stress about what needs done. Life is short and I want to treasure moments with my family as long as I’m able.
By the time my company leaves, I realize the day is half over and I need to get to work. As the day progresses, my focus is on work, which due to my various jobs will keep me busy until nearly 10:00 at night, sometimes longer, with just a break for dinner in between jobs.
By the time my day is finished, I’m exhausted with no time or energy left for what is most important-my time with God.
It wasn’t anything big that kept me from spending time with God early in the day. It was the little things -distractions, distractions, and more distractions.
Way too often I’m a no-show when God is waiting to meet with me in the early morning hours, and I feel ashamed by how easily I get caught up in the cares of this world and neglect what is most important.
Lord,
Forgive me for allowing the distractions of life to rob me of a glorious encounter with you in the morning. I’m humbled to think you desire to have an intimate relationship with me. So often I stumble and fall in my walk of faith. I rush into the day neglecting to seek your strength for the day ahead.
Later in the evening, I fall into bed exhausted, too tired to pray, or I fall asleep praying. Rather than giving you the best part of my day, I give you the pieces that are left over- a few minutes here, a few moments there.
Yet, there you are, waiting for me to come to you in prayer, wooing and luring me to come meet with you.
I am humbled when I think a holy God would even want to meet with me. Above the symphony of all you created, the roaring thunder, the waves crashing along the seashore, the howling winds, and the melody of the birds, you still long to hear my voice.
And you are always there…waiting for me to seek you. Help me to never take it for granted and to make my morning meeting with you a priority.
In Jesus’ name, amen
How often are you a no-show when it comes to meeting with God? What distractions are keeping you from a glorious early morning encounter with God?
Wordless Wednesday
10 Ways Christian Women Are Tearing Down Their Own Houses
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish woman tears hers down. (Proverbs 14:1 )
1. Building on the wrong foundation
What are you building your house on? God’s principles or the world’s standards? The Bible or the opinion of your favorite talk show host? The timeless truth in scripture or what is trending on social media?
Scripture says that a house not built by the Lord is built in vain. First and foremost, we need a biblical foundation.
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
2. Nagging and arguing
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Nagging is pointless and can eat away at your marriage. When you find yourself feeling irritated over an issue with your husband, ask yourself if the issue will matter in light of eternity. If it won’t, let it go.
Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. (Proverbs 21: 19)
3. Failing to appreciate the good qualities in their husbands
Not all husbands are romantic and attentive, and some aren’t very talkative. That does not mean they aren’t good men.
If your man works hard to provide for his family, and is a good father to his children, count your blessings. There are many women who would love to have man who is a good provider and who is not a deadbeat dad.
I’ve watched several women throw away good men in pursuit of a more romantic man or because they felt they deserved more in life. As a result, homes were destroyed, children’s lives were disrupted, and the women ended up financially destitute while in pursuit of a better life. The grass is not greener on the other side.
Respect your husband and focus on his good qualities.
A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (Proverbs 12: 4)
4. Being discontent
Discontentment is destructive, and Satan knows how to use it to his advantage. It started long ago in the Garden of Eden. Eve was discontent. God told her she could eat any fruit in the garden, except one. Instead of being glad for the abundance of fruit she could eat, she wanted the one she wasn’t supposed to have. Satan convinced her to doubt God’s word and to eat the forbidden fruit.
Eve threw away living in a garden of paradise to live in a world filled with pain and suffering. Don’t give in to discontentment. Remember Eve. It only takes one bad choice to ruin your life.
Learn to develop a thankful attitude. Choose to enjoy the good things God has blessed you with. Being content and living in peace with what you have is good for your health.
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. ( Proverbs 14: 30)
5. Being addicted to social media and cell phones
Social media and cell phones have a part in our lives, and they are wonderful when used in moderation. However, they should not take over our life or become our modern day idols.
Instead of updating your Facebook status multiple times a day, take a few minutes to drop a note or card in the mail to someone who is sick or recently had surgery. Take a meal to a family in need. Read to your kids or prepare a special dinner for your husband.
Don’t be afraid to turn off your cell phone. With the new smart phones, we have 24-hour access to the internet, email, and social media. Again, cell phones are wonderful inventions, but people have become so addicted to them that they are never disconnected from technology.
A few months ago, I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting a toddler who ran out into the street. The worst part of the incident was the fact that her mother never noticed, because she was walking and texting.
Young or old, it seems as if everyone is totally mesmerized by technology, and it is quietly destroying homes and families. How much more powerful we all would be in our walk of faith if we skimmed through the Bible as often as our social media sites and email.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. (Proverbs 31: 27)
6. Not being a good steward of money
Buying things we don’t need, overspending at the grocery store, and too many trips to the local fast food place, are all ways for money to dribble away. I am guilty of all three.
It all begins when the grocery store sale flyer arrives in my mailbox. I see all the things on sale and decide to stock up on a few things. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when the price is good and it’s for items I will use. The temptation comes when I end up going through every aisle in the store and purchasing things I don’t need.
Eating out too often is costly. This includes hitting the dollar menu at the local fast food place. Money that is dribbled away little by little adds up to a big financial drain over time.
Financial problems can put strain on a marriage and family relationships.
What would happen if we saved small amounts of money instead of spending it? Proverbs 13: 11 has the answer.
Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
7. Viewing children as a burden rather than a blessing
Being a mother requires a lot of sacrifice. It’s hard work even on the best days. But it is also the most rewarding thing you will ever do. Children should never be seen as obstacles standing in the way of career advancement or as cramping your social life.
Children are a blessing, and whatever you have to give up to be a parent is worth it. A career can be started at any time in your life, but you only have one chance to raise a child. You can always have a social life, but your child will only have one childhood.
Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from him. ( Psalm 127: 3)
8. Neglecting the home
Keeping house doesn’t mean you must adhere to a rigid cleaning schedule or have an immaculately decorated home. Caring for the home is overseeing what goes on in the home, as well as making it a safe and healthy environment for the family.
We’ve all heard the old saying, “If mama isn’t happy, nobody’s happy.” It’s true. As women, we have an amazing influence on our homes and families. We set the mood in the home and should take our role seriously.
A wise woman builds her home by working hard to meet the needs of those within her household. She is aware of what needs to be done and keeps her family well fed and clothed. She is available to offer faithful instruction to her growing children and others within her household.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26)
9. Putting too much focus on outward appearance
It doesn’t matter how much makeup you wear, or if you dress in the latest designer fashions, if your inside is ugly it will show on the outside.
That doesn’t mean outward appearance doesn’t matter. It does. Dressing appropriately and attractively is a good thing, but it’s not everything.
Do you have a harsh spirit or a quiet and gentle spirit? Are you encouraging others or tearing them down through unkind words or gossip? Are you loving others when they make mistakes or being judgmental?
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion. (Proverbs 11: 22)
10. Failing to accept the seasons of life
This one seems like common sense, but it is a real problem among women. Single women wish they were married. Married women long to be single again. Women with small children wish they had the freedom that older woman with grown children have. Older women miss the days of mothering small children and wish they could go back.
Every season of life requires sacrifice. Every season has good and bad points. If you have young children, you are busy and very limited in how much free time you have. It’s part of the mothering process. Time will pass and your day will arrive when you have more freedom.
If you are single, use this time to serve God fully. If you are married and have children, you must set aside time to meet the needs of a husband and family.
We may have seasons of good health and seasons of poor health. We have a season when we are young and a season of being old. Some seasons will definitely be more challenging than others, but that’s part of life.
Accepting the season you are in, and allowing God use you right where you are, is freeing. Willingly accept your current season and let go of seasons you are no longer in.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
God entrusted women with the ability to build their homes. Brick by brick we can build a home that will impact future generations. Each decision we make has the power to build or tear down our homes.
When we act in wisdom, and allow God’s word to determine our priorities in the home, we will build a home with a solid foundation for the future. Likewise, if we fail to pursue wisdom and give in to our selfish needs and harbor discontentment in our hearts, we will tear our homes down brick by brick.
Are the choices you make each day building your home or tearing it down?
Wordless Wednesday
When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
Do you ever look at your life circumstances and question God?
I often find myself questioning God. A lot has happened during the last five years. My husband of 34 years abandoned me and our entire family. He still has no contact with his children or grandchildren. He left without telling us, changed his phone number, and moved to another state to live with his girlfriend. The shock was immense, and the impact his leaving had on the entire family was huge.
I developed multiple health issues after he left, suffered an injury that put me in a wheelchair for several months, lost my job as a result of my injury, experienced financial hardship, lost my health insurance, lost two pastors I thought the world of (one to cancer and one to suicide), watched the church I loved fall apart, was heartbroken when two of my children went through divorces, and watched my dad’s health and mental state deteriorate.
Life continues to be a struggle, due to my health issues, and at times I am physically and emotionally wiped out just trying to make it through the day.
I often turn to the book of Job when I find myself questioning God. Job had gone through a lot of hardships, much worse than what I’m experiencing. He questioned God and got quite an earful when God responded.
As we see in the verses below, taken from Job chapters 38-42, God offers Job no answers, only more questions.
- “Who is this who darkens my counsel without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer me.
- Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
- Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?
- Have you entered the storehouses of snow or seen the storehouses of hail?
- Where is the way to the place where the lightening is dispersed or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
- Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorms?
- From whose womb comes the ice?
- Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
- Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
- Do you send lightening bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
- Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
- Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
- Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
- Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?
- Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?”
God continues questioning Job throughout chapters 38, 39, 40, and 41 for a total of 129 verses. It’s quite a humbling experience, not only for Job but also for me. Job’s meek reply in chapter 42 perfectly sums up how I feel after reading God’s response to Job.
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42: 1-6)
The book of Job is a wake-up call for me when I find myself questioning God. I know God is sovereign over everything, but sometimes I just need to be reminded!
I still don’t understand the reason why I’m experiencing some of the things that are presently happening in my life. However, I’m filled with awe as I reflect on the majesty and power of God revealed in the closing chapters of Job.
Like Job, when I see God as He truly is, I can humbly accept each trial and difficult circumstance in my life knowing it’s all part of God’s sovereign plan.
God blessed Job immensely during the second half of Job’s life. God is like that. He specializes in miracles. He brings beauty from ashes, and he redeems those who are lost and without hope.
In fact, I’ve already experienced many blessings following the difficult events of the last five years. I’ve always felt led to women’s ministry. Since my husband left, I’ve been able to minister encouragement to several other women who were abandoned by their spouses.
God blessed me with two new grandchildren. He also blessed me with a wonderful family and friends who were there for me at the time of my injury and subsequent recovery time. They made my house wheelchair friendly, so I could recover at home, brought me meals, visited, helped with cleaning, ran errands, and drove me to doctor’s appointments.
My injury and the loss of my job was the launching pad for my new career. I’ve always wanted to write for a living, but was always too afraid to quit my job. Being in a wheelchair and housebound gave me the free time I needed to set up a website and begin freelance writing.
Due to my financial hardship, I was given a scholarship to a well-known writing course and lifetime membership to a writer’s group, which was totally unexpected. I was also given money to replace my outdated computer with a new one.
My oldest granddaughter, Amayah Grace, became interested in missions work and took her first week-long missions trip to Kentucky. She is now in the process of becoming a junior camp counselor at a Christian camp. This is truly a blessing from God, because very few members of our family are walking with God.
While my health issues continue to worsen, I thank God each day that I can work from the comfort of my own home doing something I truly love. I can nap when I need extra rest, and I can work outdoors surrounded by nature when the weather is nice.
Good things do come out of the bad stuff. At times, we may not even see the good until we arrive in heaven. However, as Christians, we know the best is yet to come. With God, every life story has a happy ending.
What blessings have come out of the bad circumstances in your life?
Happiness is Homemaking
While going through some books the other day, I came across a tiny book that made me smile. Happiness is Homemaking is a small paperback book written by Ella May Miller and published in 1974.
Nearly four decades ago, when I got married, my mom’s best friend insisted I take her copy of the book with me. I read the tiny book with delight over and over again. It became my mentor when I was a young military wife living almost 2,500 miles from home.
I was passionate about keeping house and being a stay-at-home mother. I often turned to the little book for ideas and inspiration. The tattered pages and wrinkled cover bear witness to the fact that it was well used.
We moved 13 times in 14 years, and I still remember each humble little apartment, trailer, and house we lived in. Each move became a new adventure, as we set off in our used Ford Pinto overflowing with cardboard boxes. I couldn’t wait to get settled in and make each new house a home.
I happily decorated each place with simple items, many of them handmade. Cross-stitched samplers, lovingly stitched during quiet afternoons while babies napped, adorned the walls of each room. Crocheted blankets brightened up worn second-hand furniture.
The kitchen table often sported a centerpiece of fresh flowers, lovingly picked by tiny fingers. Treasures found at yard sales and flea markets breathed life into humble military living quarters.
I remember the joy of setting the table for our evening meal with the dishes I had collected in my hope chest since I was a young girl. I searched food-splattered pages of old cookbooks and women’s magazines, most handed down from my mother and grandmother, for new recipes to try. We savored many comforting soups, stews, and casseroles on our meager grocery budget.
I loved smelling a pot of soup simmering on the stove or homemade bread baking in the oven while curled up on the sofa reading to chubby-fingered toddlers who insisted on turning each page and requested the same storybooks be read over and over again.
Finding happiness in homemaking is not something you’re likely to hear about today. It’s not likely to be the buzz on social media, and it probably won’t be trending on Twitter anytime soon.
Caring for your home is a gift of love you give to your family. It’s all in how you choose to see it. Joy, happiness, and contentment can be found in the daily routines of everyday life.
Even cleaning tasks, which may seem mundane, can be therapeutic . Seeing the rewards of a clean house makes all the work worthwhile. Laundry can seem like an endless chore, but you are providing your family with clean clothing.
I’m grateful I was able to experience the simple joys of keeping house and being a stay-at-home mom. I would not trade it for anything. I won’t dismiss the fact that raising children and staying home is not without its share of struggles. However, I can honestly say it was the most satisfying thing I have ever accomplished. I would not trade it for the highest paying career or position in the working world.
Life has changed now. The children are grown. My husband left unexpectedly. I have health problems, and I’m working full time to make a living. I enjoy writing and the part-time medical transcription work I do. I’m thankful to have work I can do from the comfort of home. However, I miss the days when I was just a homemaker and mother.
I look back with fondness on that time. I took great pride and pleasure in my homemaking and mothering role, and I felt a contentment and peace unmatched since that time. I believe I felt that way because I was doing what God had called me to do; I had accepted the high calling of motherhood and homemaking with joy.
As I gaze upon the tattered green book from days gone by, I’m once again reminded that happiness really is homemaking. Creating a comfortable and loving home is not drudgery or a menial task. It’s a high calling that God entrusted to women.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness ~ Proverbs 31: 27
Wordless Wednesday
The Deception of the Comfort Zone
I often wonder how many aspiring writers live in the comfort zone, lulled to sleep by a false sense of security. They know God has called them to write, but the fear of rejection and exposing their vulnerability is too frightening.
It’s much safer to remain in the comfort zone. There is no risk of failure in the comfort zone, and it requires little effort to remain there.
Aspiring writers think about leaving the comfort zone at times, but the same old nagging doubts and questions hold them captive.
Did God really call me to be a writer? I’m not good enough. There are plenty of great writers out there; I could never measure up to any of them. What if I try and fail? I don’t have time to write. I’m too busy. I’ll start next week, next month, next year. When the children grow up I will write.
Another day, week, month or year passes. Eventually, the years turn into decades or a lifetime. The aspiring writer dies, falsely secure in her comfort zone, and the words and stories God called her to write dies along with her.
In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25: 14-30, we learn about three servants who were given talents by God. They all three received a different amount of talents to invest while their master was away.
Two of the servants used their talents wisely and were rewarded by the master when he returned. They both heard their master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
The third servant hid his talent and didn’t use it. He tried to appease the master by making excuses for not investing his talent. He stated, “I was afraid.” The master rebuked him, called him wicked and lazy, said he was a worthless servant, and ordered him to be thrown outside into the darkness.
The third servant was a resident of the comfort zone. He made excuses and allowed fear to prevent him from investing in his talent.
What can we learn from the parable of the talents?
- God gives different talents to each person
- Work is required to invest talents
- God expects a return on the talents he gives us
- God rewards us according to how we use our talents
God gives each of us unique gifts and talents to invest in his kingdom. We are responsible for investing our talents. God will take care of the results of our work.
As a former comfort-zone resident, I understand the doubts and insecurities of being a writer. Fear literally crippled me at times. One thing that helped push me out of my comfort zone was when I heard a pastor say that God does not want a popular or famous servant. He simply wants an obedient one.
I felt such freedom when I realized I simply needed to be obedient and write.
As Christian writers, we don’t need to impress anyone but God. It doesn’t matter how many followers we have on Twitter or how many “likes” we have on Facebook. Being obedient to use our gifts is what counts in the end.
I’m aware of the need in today’s publishing industry to self-promote our work on social media and the importance of having a good following. There is nothing wrong with doing what is necessary for success in the book publishing industry. However, obeying the call to write should be our main focus, not self-promotion.
Leaving the comfort zone is scary, but staying in the comfort zone is even more frightening when you study the parable of the talents. Like the three servants, one day we will also give an account to our master for how wisely we invested our talents.
And our master won’t be checking to see if our punctuation was always perfect or if we had a few grammar mistakes here and there. He won’t care if we were famous authors or not. He won’t look at how many people read our blog or the reviews about our books. He won’t be checking Facebook likes or Twitter followers to determine our reward.
Like the servants in the parable of the talents, it will all come down to one thing – obedience in using the talents he gave us.
Are you a comfort-zone resident? Break free. You don’t have to fear what will happen when you step outside the comfort zone and begin using your talent. Simply obey the call. God will do the rest.