Sometimes a blank page can be completely and utterly distracting. For a writer, often it is the bane of her existence. What shall I say? Do I have enough words to convey my thoughts?

I think of my life like an empty sheet of paper. Every day I write a little more of my story... Sometimes it's beautiful and things are worded "just right", but there are equal opportunities to craft an eloquent story that ends up being a complete and utter flop. A writer will plan, write, and edit time and time again with a desire to please herself and others. The desire to please others causes such turmoil. Pages of a life seeking to please are crumbled and tossed aside. A story that had so much potential and artistic quality is conformed to the Nicholas Sparks' of life--those who never write true "art", only a sappy, emotion-swirling novel in which every story patterns out the same. And while we scribble our stories, but toss them to the side because they are yet to "measure up" to today's standard, a beautiful work of art is often discarded as rubbish. Louisa May Alcott's The Inheritance is perhaps one of the most intriguing stories she ever wrote, yet it was simply a story she cast to the side because of her youth. She believed it wasn't worthy of publish, yet nearly 150 years after it was written, has become a classic alongside Little Women. Just like this work of art, many times we sell ourselves short because of feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. We ask ourselves, Am I doing this right?, when all God is really asking of us is to simply give what we have. What if the Apostle Paul refused to write because of his past? Our Bible would certainly be shorter. He wrote some of the most informative passages of scripture to the modern day church under the inspiration of Christ, but had he not been willing to say, If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me, God would have had to choose someone else in his place. I had a thought once--how many individuals did God have to speak to before he finally found one willing man to sacrifice everything and build an ark? I may be wrong, but I don't think the Bible mentions anything about God only speaking to one man. It's very possible that he spoke to 10, 20, or even 100 people, but the scripture says that Noah found grace in His sight. I struggle daily to distinguish God's voice from the other noise, but sometimes all I have to do is take a moment to truly listen. The devil will never tell you to pray for someone. He will never tell you to give sacrificially.

I've used a lot of metaphors (I think that's the right part of speech?) comparing life to a blank sheet of paper, but in the literal sense, take the time to write. Even if you feel like you cannot write eloquently (Can you tell I like that word?) or your grammar isn't perfect, there is a great chance that you have a story to tell. The song "Words" by Hawk Nelson says, "Words can build you up, words can break us down, start a fire in your heart, or put it out. Let my words be life, let my words be truth, I don't want to say a word unless it points the world back to You." Keep this in mind and write encouragement. Envision touching a heart. Pray. Ask God to lead you as you develop your story. Every day that you live, ask Him to place someone in your life to encourage. Often it only takes a "Thank you" to rock someone's world. A pen is like a steering wheel--you can use it to take you different directions. Give God control over the pen and let him write your story. Read every day. The Bible is the greatest work of art ever written, and the more you read, the greater your vocabulary becomes. Your speech becomes fluent and educated. You can make choices and decisions for your life story that are well-researched. You will be able to "cite your sources" when you are crossed with an argument. In college, critical reading is enforced. Critically read God's word and search. Someone told me during a tour of the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens in Monroe that a true work of art is one in which there are more than a thousand interpretations. Simply put, the Bible is obviously a true work of art. Many try to interpret, but without God leading and guiding you as you read, it is difficult to understand. I hear people say "I struggle with reading the Bible because I don't understand it", but the short answer is, the more you read and ask for understanding, the more you will learn and understand. Don't let that become an excuse--pick it up and start reading--it's like having a little piece of Heaven on earth. Let it inspire you. Read every day and write at least every other. Pick up the pen and start sketching an outline right now. Today. Right now is the moment, today is the day. I've been changed. I have waited for this moment to come, and I won't let it pass me by.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I pray that God truly blesses you, but before the blessing comes, a true and total sacrifice must be made. The greatest sacrifice that can be made is the one done in secret.

My last "smidgen" (Is that really a word?) of advice is, don't sell yourself short. Start each day with the prayer, If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me.