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I have winced more than once after reading one of my published stories. I feel
force of
loss of privacy. I worry that I might have caused someone embarrassment. I wonder if I'll be ostracized by my family and friends. I imagine them talking about me. "Can you believe she wrote about that!"
So why write it?
I do it because to many people who don't know me, I look just like Bob. When I show up for church, I float into
sanctuary like I don’t have a care in
world. But I don't have it together like Bob. And I want to tell
truth. Readers who need Christ in their life, who are afraid to step into a church because their lives aren't as "together" as Bob's . . . they need to hear
truth.
We learn from each other's testimony. That's how I connect to you and you connect to me. Once a connection is made, we feel less alone in our struggles and, together, we can build our hope in Christ. When we write from our hearts, we share our humanity. As writers, God commissions us to use our talent to make
big catch in Luke 5:1-11.
Let's go back in history to
"big catch" moment. Up to
point of
catch, Jesus was doing all of his work alone. More and more people were becoming interested in his message and he needed more messengers. Did he go to
synagogue and look for a great priest? No. He looked around for every day people like you and me. Jesus is able to make kingdom workers out of imperfect people.
I'm often struggling with challenges that no one would ever imagine because I float so well. My prayer is that writing about them will be
bit of encouragement someone needs. Fulfilling my commission is not necessarily pulling in every reader. If my story is
difference between heaven and hell for one person, it's worth it.
Although you may never know whose life you touch by telling your story, I want to encourage you to write it. Writing from
heart is more than self-expression; it's an act of obedience. Trust God when he directs you to let down your net. We are not living in a perfect world where we can afford to waste time floating. Come along with me, friend. Let's fish!

Barbara Carr Phillips, journal instructor, believes dreams come true when you learn to journal your way to success. Visit http://journalworkshops.net to order your one-on-one journaling session or to sign up for her free e-zine.