avatarMary Gallagher

Summary

The author of the article discovers that their collection of unfinished writing projects and ideas represents faithfulness and obedience to God's calling, rather than failure or disobedience.

Abstract

The article "Discovering Grace in Unwritten Pages" delves into the author's journey from feeling haunted by guilt and regret over unfinished writing projects to realizing that these very fragments are signs of their faithfulness and obedience to God's call. Initially, the author saw their accordion folder of scribbled ideas and abandoned dreams as evidence of unfaithfulness and disobedience. However, after reading "Writing Devotionals That Stick" by Kathy Widenhouse, the author experiences a transformative perspective shift. Widenhouse suggests that capturing ideas, no matter how incomplete, is an act of faithfulness in the small things. This insight leads the author to understand that God views their efforts, even the seemingly insignificant ones, as a form of stewardship over the gifts entrusted to them. The article emphasizes that God's grace allows for a reframing of one's perceived shortcomings into acts of obedience and that divine timing plays a crucial role in bringing these ideas to fruition. The author encourages readers to continue being faithful and to guard their divine inspirations, as God sees and honors their faithfulness.

Opinions

  • The author initially believed that their unfinished writing projects were a source of guilt and a sign of disobedience to God's calling.
  • Reading Kathy Widenhouse's perspective on capturing ideas as an act of faithfulness led to a significant change in the author's view of their own work.
  • The author realized that their attempts at writing, even when not completed, were valued by God and were part of His plan.
  • The article suggests that personal expectations of perfection and self-imposed deadlines are not reflective of God's demands.
  • The author encourages others to reframe their thoughts about unfinished work through the lens of grace, rather than judgment.
  • The author believes that all ideas and dreams are given for a purpose and will find their right time to be realized.
  • The article conveys the message that God is faithful and acknowledges the faithfulness of individuals in guarding the ideas and dreams entrusted to them.

Discovering Grace in Unwritten Pages

Embracing God’s perspective on scribbled ideas and abandoned dreams

Photo by Bruce Dixon on Unsplash

For years I carried around an accordion folder with writing ideas on scraps of paper and unfinished writing projects shoved into its folds. These bits and pieces of a writing life that had been pushed to the side by busyness and distraction haunted me.

Guilt, condemnation, and regret were my constant companions. I felt weak, burdened, and shamed when I thought about digging into that folder. All those half-thoughts and scribbled ideas represented my unfaithfulness and disobedience to God’s calling.

Or so I thought…

As I read the book, Writing Devotionals That Stick, the author said something that stopped me in my tracks.

She said that those scraps of paper and story starters, ideas, and fragments of articles represented faithfulness and obedience.

Wait, what????

I had been living with condemnation for so long, feeling that I had abandoned my dreams, disappointed God, and been unfaithful by not sticking with my writing dreams given to me over 20 years ago.

Weren’t all those half-started articles and book ideas evidence that I lacked faith and follow-through? Hadn’t the ship sailed without me? Surely I had missed the train as it pulled out of the depot with others who were more ready, faithful, and obedient than I, right?

But no, God was redeeming this thought right before my eyes as I reread her words:

“…capturing ideas indicates faithfulness in the small things”

— Kathy Widenhouse

Tears of relief and joy, covered in grace, poured down my face. God saw those scraps of paper and seeds of ideas as my faithfulness and obedience to his writing call on my life.

The author likened the saving of this seed journal to the instructions in 1 Timothy:

“…guard what has been entrusted to your care.”

— 1 Timothy 6:20 (NIV)

My deadlines and perfectionistic expectations were not his demands. The browbeating was not from him; it was from me.

I had framed those thoughts with borders of judgment, he was showing me how to reframe them through eyes of grace.

Now those bits and pieces, thoughts hastily jotted on note paper or the backs of napkins are making their way into my writing life. Some have been developed into Medium articles like this one, and other words or images are being refined into the book I’ve always wanted to write.

God is faithful, and he sees your faithfulness, too! Don’t stop saving the ideas, the discarded sentences, or the dreams. They are all being given to you for the right time. One day you will look at them, nod thoughtfully and say, “For such a time as this…now I see what you’ve been doing, God.”

To the faithful, you show yourself faithful.

— Psalm 18:25 (NIV)

In this article, you can read my earlier reflections about the regret I was drowning in:

I pray that you continue to be faithful and guard what God has entrusted to your care! ~Mary

Faithfulness
Writing Life
Creative Process
Christianity
Grace
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