I Quit!
Are you ready to quit after making your New Years resolutions? Carol shares how she has managed to keep writing over the years.
Do You Want to Say “I Quit!”
The new year has begun. Have you made those resolutions and now want to say, “I quit!”? Do your dreams seem too far away to ever achieve and you want to add that puzzle piece of I quit and put it smack dab in the middle of the picture of your life? They sneak in at a time when we least expect.
I quit! I don’t think I can do this. These two phrases have been part of my vocabulary way too often, about a number of things and writing for sure.
I used to love to write way back when I was in school. But circumstances, misunderstandings on my part, and that old unwanted guest of fear made me quit before I began. I shelved all desires to write for anyone else to read.
But as I began to unpack the desire and enjoyment of writing a few decades later, fear showed up uninvited and tried to make himself at home. He brought friends along. Insecurity played on my emotions and thoughts like a keyboard artist. Inadequacy hammered questions at me. “Why are you trying to do this? Is this what you are supposed to do? Who do you think you are to try and write, let alone let anyone else read it? Why don’t you just quit?”
Questions That Creep In
Over the last dozen years since I began writing, these questions creep in to play with my thoughts. Sometimes they come one at a time. Other times they bombard me like a flurry of snowballs.
But I haven’t quit again. I’ve continued to write, to edit, and even to share the pieces with others. Over those years, I wrote a number of devotionals, especially after taking Marcia Laycock’s devotional writing course on-line. Most of these sat in my computer or on bits of paper, never going any further until some friends asked me to share them, one a day, with the small group. The number of them hiding out of sight amazed me. These ladies affirm the gifts they see God has given me and encourage me, keep me accountable, and wait for me to write more stories, devotionals, and books.
Out of My Comfort Zone
My grandchildren and one of my nieces, along with my husband and children, have been great encouragers of writing. One grandson challenged me to move out of my writing comfort zone and try writing fiction. It took awhile to begin. Then I set the finished manuscript on the shelf and quit working on revisions and edits because those nasty old guests showed up again. Fear of what people might think or of failure along with hurt feelings over some comments intended to destroy rather than build up pushed this new endeavour aside for three years. But continued affirmations and encouragements have brought this work to the light of day and it is published.
The World of Poetry
Another granddaughter pushed and pulled until she dragged me into the world of poetry writing workshops and loves to laugh or at least smile in a knowing way when a poem is published. She doesn’t let me quit.
My husband has been known to “send me to my room” to write on several occasions where the words “I can’t do it. I quit.” Pop out of my mouth. He laughs and then tells me he sees the good things that happen when I use the abilities God has given me. He reminds me that he sees how persevering and sharing the writing helps keep a very nasty guest of depression from barging in and taking over.
“I Quit!” Still Pops Out
I quit and I can’t do this still pops out of my mouth on occasion, well more often than I usually care to admit. But I pull out the bricks to build a fort to hide from the barrage of snowballs of negativity hurled at me. They include those affirmations I receive, the words of encouragement, those times readers share what the writing has meant for them or its timely arrival, and the challenges from grandchildren, friends, and others.
For those uninvited guests in my mind with their negative monkey voices chattering away, I need to rest in God’s Word, sit at the feet of Jesus and pray that God will help my focus be on using the gifts and abilities he has given for his purposes and in his timing. Only he can silence those voices and help me kick them out of my heart and mind.
Psalm 46: 10 says
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
This verse is printed out and sits on my desk, along with a bundle of encouragement notes with verses and quotes that affirm who I am in Christ.
Those negative thoughts invade too often and need to be removed by relying on prayer and immersing myself in God’s Word.
Never Want to Stop Sharing
I quit! No, I never want to stop sharing the stories of how the God of the Bible is still God today. I don’t want to quit encouraging others through story and word. I never want to lose sight of hope or joy, nor do I want to stop sharing those with others.
I am a work in progress. I am grateful for all those God has placed in my life who give me the proverbial kick in the butt when I need it, pray with and for me, encourage and affirm me, and challenge me to keep going.
Are you ready to give up or be that work in progress like I am and keep going, one small step at a time?
Do you have a goal for New Year? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life or visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope.
She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
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