We’ve all been through it, haven’t we?
A total lack of inspiration, and even the feeling that no matter what we do, our work might never mean anything. This inner voice’s whisper fills our ears: What if my story is not good enough? What if it never gets past that dreadful first draft—or worse, what if it ends up being polished up and published, and is complete garbage anyway?
Been there? Me too.
Let’s not try to pretend otherwise. The voice of discouragement can be so loud. Much louder than our own writing voices might be; louder than they might ever become, if we let it.
And so maybe I should try to hype you up. Tell you how great you are. That you got this. That you can totally do it.
But that’s not what I’m gonna do.
(Sorry.)
You’ve already heard it all anyway.
(Haven’t you though?)
Instead, I’ll throw this hot take at you and say this: it doesn’t matter.
Fear and discouragement are deafeningly loud? Let them.
Doubt is crippling your dreams and ambition? Let it.
Because that was never what mattered, was it? It’s not our own voices—our own words, our own messages, our own skills— that matter. It never was. True, we might have stories to tell, and the better we are at it, the easier it is; but there has to be something more. Something beyond this writing dream, something that gives it a reason to be your dream in the first place.
Take Moses, for example. He grew up as a prince, rich, probably powerful, most likely feared and respected. If you study the first few chapters of Exodus, you can see he was hot-tempered and didn’t hesitate to take action when he felt like he should. A perfect candidate to deliver Israel, don’t you think?
Apparently, however, God thought otherwise. Instead, He let Moses live in exile for a whole forty years; you could rephrase like this: God waited for Moses to lose his youthful zeal—and pride—until he was humble and felt like there was no way for him to ever accomplish such a feat. Because it wasn’t going to be Moses that would deliver Israel…it was going to be God.
Want another example? Take the story of Goliath’s defeat. King Saul had many warriors, some of them skilled and powerful. He had swords and armor and fighting experience (see 1 Samuel 11). Still, who did God choose to kill the man that insulted Israel and threatened to enslave it again? A shepherd boy, courageous perhaps, but armed only with a sling and a few small stones from the nearest river.
See the connection here? See how this could translate to a writer’s work?
No, it does not mean that we shouldn’t care if our writing *ahem* sucks. It does not mean that we have permission not to make an effort—Moses still had to go back to Egypt and talk to Pharaoh, and David still had to learn to be king. Just like, in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the master was upset at the slave who simply hid his wealth instead of investing it, so should we not assume that serving God won’t require us to put in some work.
The encouragement I want to bring today, rather, is that you can only do your best; you can only sow the seeds you’ve been given—but it is God who can make them grow.
And so, if you’re discouraged, friend—if you think your writing will never be good enough, never be able to touch people… well, maybe that’s fine. Maybe touching hearts was never your task. Maybe the greatest, most beautiful thing you can do is simply not to give up. To be faithful with what you’ve been given and, with a humble heart, present it to God as an offering rather than as a medal.
Give God that pressure. Enjoy His gift with a grateful heart, and share it with the world. It doesn’t have to be perfect; you don’t have to be a prodigy. You just have to be faithful, and to live out this beautiful calling He’s given you. Not because you’re confident in the power of your words, but because you’re confident in the power of He who called you.
Vannah used to hate writing. However, as she found in stories the power to both escape and understand the world better, typing away for hours never was a problem again (okay, let’s face it: it never was when writers’ block didn’t have the upper hand).
During her time off in university or in her part-time job working with children, she writes mainly poetry and fantasy, with the hope and prayer that it can encourage others in their own lives.
Vannah is featured in anthologies such as Lawless and Image Bearers, as well as in the Clean Fiction Magazine and on various literary platforms.
Follow her on Instagram: @vannah_leblank_author, or check out her website where various creatives share their testimonies, Stories Awoken.
It was such a joy to have Vannah on my blog! Go check out the article I wrote for her website here!