Do you know that you are chosen?
You are chosen by God for a specific purpose for this moment in time.
As Mordecai conveyed to Queen Esther, I say to you, who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14 NIV)
Royal position? Yes. You are a child of the King, and He has gifted you for this moment, for His purpose.
Whether you are gifted with wisdom, knowledge, faith, or another of the many gifts mentioned in Scripture, your gift—bestowed and empowered by the Spirit—is given for the common good, to be used here, now (1 Cor 12:7–8). And if you’re reading this post, one way you’re meant to use your gift might be through the words you write for others.
In addition to the gifts of the Spirit, God also gives us talents. If God has gifted you with a talent for writing, you are responsible to use that talent well. As Jesus taught, when you are faithful with the Master’s gift, He is pleased and offers more. When you neglect a gift, when you bury the gift, it may be taken from you (Matthew 25: 14–30).
Are you using your gifts well?
Or are you burying your gifts?
These are questions I ask you to prayerfully ponder, now and in the days to come.
These are questions I have prayerfully pondered and continue to ponder.
Here is what I’ve discovered so far: If I am chosen for such a time as this, if I am gifted for such a time as this, then I need to be present in this time, this moment, moment by moment. Yet more often than I care to admit, rather than practicing presence, I am off somewhere digging a hole.
I am burying my gifts.
In our digital age, it is easier than not for each of us to bury our gifts. Notifications vie for our attention, distracting us from the practice of presence—news flashes, financial reports, social media alerts, texts, messages, calls, reminders from our Bible and meditation apps, our calendar apps. Our moment by moment is busy, noisy, demanding.
Our minds are encumbered. Engulfed. Overwhelmed. Overstimulated.
Practicing presence has become more difficult than ever.
But if the Spirit of God empowers our gifts, then our presence, our availability to Him, is vital. As one of the characters in my novel Home says, “You have to be present to experience God. Although He is beyond time—is past, present, and future—we, as humans bound by time, experience Him in the here and now.”
It is for the here and now, for such a time as this, that He has chosen and gifted each of us.
It is in the here and now, in this moment, that he waits for us to throw our shovels aside.
He waits for us to turn our attention to Him.
To listen for Him, to Him.
He waits to empower us to use the gifts He’s given.
So that we may use our gifts well.
So that we may write the words He gives to us.
Words For Writers
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Thank you for these timely and meaningful words. They answer questions I had not yet formulated.
God is so good to answer questions we haven’t yet asked.
I never thought of it this way, frankly! Thank you for sharing this perspective on a writer’s gift as given by the Lord to be used of Him to further the Kingdom. Guess I’ll have to toss that shovel! Blessings!
Karen, yep, let’s toss the shovels! I’m grateful God used the post to speak to you.
Thank you for this. Today I needed to be reminded. Today I needed to recognize an urgency to focus on what God has for me to do.
I concur with Jan and Karen, and ask your permission to repost your message in two other writing groups. Of course, I will credit you and keep your name with the repost.
Anna, you’re welcome to share the blog post. I pray God will use the words to encourage writers!
Writers so often discount the gift that God has uniquely bestowed upon us. We struggle to believe that we have anything worthy to say. Having been to two writer’s conferences in the last month, this fear seems to be universal, even among established writers. How wonderful Ginny to read your encouraging words. Thank you for using the gift of words that God has given you to lift us up!
Writers so often discount the gift that God has uniquely bestowed upon us. We struggle to believe that we have anything worthy to say. Having been to two writer’s conferences in the last month, this fear seems to be universal, even among established writers. How wonderful Ginny to read your encouraging words. Thank you for using the gift of words that God has given you to lift us up!
Ginny these are timely and relevant words! I’m a gardener and often find myself digging a hole when I should be writing. I’ve been working on a new garden project but feeling convicted that I should be doing something else. Every time I ask the Lord what this is about, that thought pops in… Write the book! And then your post, with a picture of a shovel and dirt. Thank you for your obedience to post this with that photo! I’m literally going to take a fast from the garden and get this done.
I just read this received in my email. Thank you for the gift of your words and the reminder that I need to be present and to use my gifts. I always enjoy reading your articles as I can hear your soft voice and feel your sweet spirit.
I pray you are doing well.
I often wait to read your posts for just the right time. Like a chocolate I am holding for a moment when no one is around and I can savor it in little bites. Right now I am sitting in a hotel room alone waiting for the first day of a speaking/writing conference I have been planning to attend all year. Isolated, I find myself wishing I were home. feeling I have nothing to offer in this place. Doubting my calling, and resonating with every word in your post. Thank you Ginny. Your words are a lifeline for me today.
Kimalea, you are where God has led you. Enjoy the conference and all He has for you!
I really needed this reminder today. Thank you for writing such an encouraging post and using your gift of writing to bolster other writers.