‘Hi, my name’s Penny, and I, well, I write.’
It’s funny how the admission is so hard to make at first.
No, I don’t have a paid job. Yes I am a stay at home mum, and in between hanging out the laundry and picking the kids up from school, I write. It’s something I believe God has, for a time, allowed me to do.
It’s this second admission that I find more daunting than the first, however. For I believe that to write for God is akin to desiring to teach — and is not something to be taken lightly.
You might be wondering what God thinks about your writing. Here are some Bible passages that might help you along.
Look up James 3: 1. If you’re super keen you could read the entire chapter. Otherwise, take some time with the words, and then think about your answers to the following questions.
- How far do you think the similarity between teacher and writer go? Where are they different?
- Is it only the writing of overt Christian content that this would apply to?
- Does considering this responsibility change the way you view your writing pastime?
Read Malachi 3:6-10. In this passage, the prophet Malachi recorded God’s opinions of the offerings some of his people.
- What was at the heart of the issue?
- Why are acceptable offerings so important to God?
Take a look at Psalm 51:16.
- If God isn’t really interested in burnt offerings, what are the offerings of worship we are to bring to him today?
- Do you consider your writing an offering?
Consider the various forms your writing takes: emails, journals, blogs, articles, short stories, novels, memoir. Each has its own purpose and audience. Writing that is written for someone other than ourselves can be considered an act of service to that person. Now read Ephesians 6:7-8, thinking of your writing as service.
- What do you think “writing wholeheartedly” involves?
- Is this how you write?
- Imagine you were about to submit a piece of your writing to Jesus’ editorial desk. How would this change the way you prepare, polish and present your work?
When we consider both the responsibility and wonder of writing for God we open ourselves up to a different kind of writing. It may take us longer to prepare a manuscript, or it may not, but this sort of writing isn’t just prose creation. It’s an offering of worship. Regardless of content, be it overtly faith related or not, the unspoken message will pour from the pages: “This writer knows something of the mystery of Christ -– and it’s worth my reading about.”
Penny Reeve is the author of more than 20 books for children, including picture books, novels and non-fiction. She loves sharing her stories with children and encouraging them to respond to the complex, fascinating and sometimes difficult world we live in. Her latest book, Out of the Cages, under the pen name Penny Jaye was a 2019 CALEB winner.