My name is Dan, and I am a writer.
This would be my honest confession because I LOVE to write. I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go and am often pulled into a conflict of being in the moment or stopping to write about something that stood out to me while I was in the moment.
I want to walk you through a through something I discovered this morning while reading and it was one of those times of conflict that a writer often deals with:
Continue meditating on the pattern of thought
vs.
Write down what came to your heart
Writing won the battle.
I was reading a passage of scripture while preparing for another post when I came across a passage that I had never noticed before. I should have moved on but the part of my brain which drives me down the highway of thought immediately pulled the car over and parked. How could I have missed this?
I was reading Genesis 36 and was trying to sort out Abraham's family tree. What a mess!
"And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father."
~ Genesis 36:24
I know right? WHAT???
This passage is spoke about a descendant of Esau and the way it was worded caught my attention. It was right in the middle of a genealogy so I had to stop and study this thing out. Mules in the wilderness??? What does this have to do with a post about being a writer?
It was not just the mules this guy found that was important, it was where the mules were when he found them. With a little bit of research what you will find is that Enah found the mules in the middle of a hidden and natural hot spring. This guy discovered natural hot springs in the middle of the wilderness which prospered his family. He discovered something which would make a lasting impact. He found a source of refreshment and healing,shared it with his world before being swallowed up within a list of forgotten names in a barely read chapter of an often ignored book. Anah makes this fantastic contribution and then slips back into a list of names of people who were once here and now gone. When was the last time you have ever heard an inspirational sermon about "good old Anah"?
This has been on my mind quite a bit this morning.
This thought of discovering a source of healing and passing it on even if you will never be associated with what you discovered.
We all want to be the main character in the story sometimes don't we? This Anah inspires me because this passage prompts me to ask the obvious question.
Q: What reason did he have to share such a valuable discovery?
The answer to this question is even more obvious than the question itself.
A: Others were in need of what he discovered and there would be people who would live better because of a shared discovery.
I then had to write down a simple list on the whiteboard of my mind of the benefits of a hot spring.
A hot spring can cleanse the skin.
A hot spring relaxes and calms the senses.
A hot spring soothes aches and pains by providing a body with 90% buoyancy so that joints can rest.
A hot spring provides heat which improves circulation allowing the full power of the blood to move throughout the body.
I find it safe to say that others in his world of influence were in need of what he had discovered. He shared a source of healing which has left a lasting impact on the area this was shared in until this very day. The results of what he shared provided a more active and full life to those he shared it with. He knew what he discovered needed to be passed on regardless if he was the main character or not. As it turns out, he was NOT because before I read this passage and wrote this blog post, neither you or I had ever given him a second thought.
I read this passage this morning and asked myself a few questions.
Why do I write?
Why do I put the effort and expense into putting thoughts I discover into a blog post or into a book form?
Why put yourself out there to risk being misunderstood or making a mistake that would bring criticism?
Why open up your heart and your life in this way?
What are my reasons for writing the things I write?
REASON
NOUN [ ˈrēzən ]
noun: reason · plural noun: reasons
- a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event: synonyms: cause ·
1. I write because I need what I discover and if I need what I discover, than those around me need what I discover.
The Holy Spirit has many functions in the life of the believer and a few of those functions would be to comfort the believer and instruct the believer. I write to express what God gives me in this journey of discovering my identity IN Christ and everything that comes with the gift of God. I write for me and then I share that with whoever is searching on the same trail.
"Your God given message is the solution to someone else's problem."
2. What I discover can heal and improve the quality of a person's life.
The understanding of grace of God can cleanse the body of Christ, the church.
The understanding of the relentless love of Christ for the believer can calm and relax the senses.
The understanding of God's complete forgiveness alleviates aches and pains of the soul by providing a mind with buoyancy so that it can rest.
The understanding of a believers true identity IN Christ provides a heart with a warmth which improves circulation of the Spirit allowing an comprehension of the full power of the blood to move throughout the body of Christ, the church.
We have been made complete in Him! We have the source and He came to give life and life more abundant!
The understanding of the relentless love of Christ for the believer can calm and relax the senses.
The understanding of God's complete forgiveness alleviates aches and pains of the soul by providing a mind with buoyancy so that it can rest.
The understanding of a believers true identity IN Christ provides a heart with a warmth which improves circulation of the Spirit allowing an comprehension of the full power of the blood to move throughout the body of Christ, the church.
We have been made complete in Him! We have the source and He came to give life and life more abundant!
3. It is not about who discovered what, the only thing that matters is what was discovered.
If I asked you to tell me some people in the book of Genesis who made an impact, Anah would not have made your list. There are some "big" names but this guy would not have made the cut. In the end, the names matter little in comparison to what was discovered. Anah did not provide the effects of the hot springs to those around him, he simply allowed the discovery to do what the discovery was meant to do since God put it where He did. It soothed, refreshed, healed and strengthened.
If you discover a truth from the scriptures, you share it and let it do it's thing!
Post your scripture verses on face book, and share your favorite passages of scripture on Instagram and twitter. Hang your passages that mean the most on your walls at home , in your car, and in your office. Let the Word of God go out and I promise you, It will NEVER return void.
4. Discoveries were meant to be shared because you and I are only the vessel of the discovery, not the source.
It was John the Baptist who put it simplest in his statement, "I am a voice". He was stating that he was not the source but rather just the megaphone. The Apostle Paul said, "He must increase and I must decrease." The discovery is not about you. It never has been.
What is your gift to express the discoveries that God gives you?
Art?
Poetry?
Singing?
Musical ability?
Writing?
Hospitality?
Giving?
Acts of Service?
Teaching?
Preaching?
There are countless avenues for discovery and for the expression of those discoveries.
There are people who are waiting to be healed, strengthened, encouraged and propelled into their own purpose through your discovery!
Go discover and then go share what you discover. The apostles said, "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.." and neither can we!
Climbing with you,
~Dan
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