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 Resources What Do You Think? July 2007
What Do You Think?
July 2007
"...the forbidden fruit of self-disclosure grew ever more tempting."
-- A friend of Frederick Buechner (The Eyes of the Heart)
I haven't written in a while, so I feel an explanation is in order. It's not for lack of ideas;
in fact, I often have a new inspiration even before I have fully explored the previous one. I am
inundated with topics that seem pertinent to me and my Christian perspective every single day.
However, one basic question - in various forms - continued to plague me. Why am I writing? Is it,
in some small way, fulfilling my part in spreading the Word of God? Or is it merely for my own
glory? Am I sharing a message other than my own or merely looking for a spotlight?
A typical Christian response to such struggles and doubts is prayer. So I asked God's guidance.
Is this something He wants me to do? Or is it merely something I want to do? During such prayer a
new doubt comes to the fore. If I am able to "realize" an answer, how do I know whether it is
God's answer or merely my own?
As I prayed, this thought came into my mind: These struggles and the process to resolve them
would make a good article - something to be shared with others. Was this God’s voice? Or was it
merely my ego?
The truth is I wasn't sure. So I tried an experiment. I went back to writing in my journals.
I figured if the writing was just for me (between only God and I), it couldn't be construed as a
search for personal glory. I picked up a couple of books on journaling to see how others viewed
this writing process. Before long I ran across the following quote...
"I would like to write a journal that my children could own and be benefited by if
I were taken away."
-- Leaving a Legacy, by Alexandra Johnson
And that's when it hit me. Certainly my writing is about me. I do wish to "leave a trace" of
myself. But I also genuinely want my experiences to benefit others. Not just my own children,
but the rest of my family, my church, and my friends.
If I should have any talent, be it for writing or other things, it is a gift from God. And those
gifts are to be shared with others. I am now convinced that God doesn't wish us to forego
personal success or even personal praise. He simply doesn't want such personal glory to be our
focus. He should be our focus. The praise should go to Him.
I hope that disclosure of my own thoughts, struggles, and processes, will help others to recognize
the hope offered to each one of us through Jesus Christ, through prayer, and through the study of
God's Word. If my writing helps even one person realize from where answers come, than I believe
it's something God meant for me to do.
What do you think?
Jeff Hand (jhand@isualum.com)
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