Two summers ago, I was hard at work on a research paper
about Fort Stevens. It was my second research paper for that particular professor,
so I knew I had to work hard for the A+ I so desired. He was a stickler for good quality sources
and proper punctuation in citations. He was probably one of my strictest
professors, and I had him for two terms in a row. Although he was strict on
the academic details, he was also kind when I reached out for help or had a
question. And, most importantly for me, he chose to be an encourager.
When I received my grade from the first paper, I noticed
that he said it was well-written. That was a complement, indeed, and I was
thrilled, but didn’t really think about it much after that. I was just happy my
professor was pleased with my work.
The next class I took from him was even harder and required
me to write quite a lot. The paper was the final project, and I worked even
harder, digging up sources, and taking notes, even taking a couple "field trips" to gather information. When it came time to write the
paper, I spent the whole day in my room writing the draft. I usually could type up a pretty good paper in a couple hours, but this one had to be longer and the punctuation in
the citations had to be perfect. I wanted an A+.
When I got my grade back, I was again delighted that my professor
mentioned something about the paper being well-written. He was a historian, and I knew he
could tell good writing when he saw it, so to be told by him a second time that
something was written well made me think.
I’ve always enjoyed writing, and in college I would often breeze
through my written assignments, enjoying the quest for just the right word
or phrase.
My very first college professor (English class) had encouraged each of us to
start a blog for the purpose of practicing our writing, and I had, but no thought of “being a writer” had ever occurred to me until that last round of college classes
and that one professor who said my paper was well-written.
I don’t know why it sparked ambition in me –I’ve never been
ambitious. But it did. I began to think seriously about being a history writer.
I asked my professor if he thought my paper would be helpful to the historical
society of the place I had written about, and he said he did. Then I began to
think about other topics I could write about. I didn’t have a degree in history, nor did I
have anything else to recommend me except my research skills, but I knew I
wanted to write, and history had always been a favorite topic of study.
Then the school year started, and I was too busy to think
of doing any in-depth research projects. The months flew by in a flurry of schoolwork
and ministry work. The next summer I researched the Tillamook Burn, but when it
came to writing about it, I just didn’t seem to be able to begin. Again, the school year intervened, and brought
with it a busy schedule and the need to focus on what was before me.
But as spring arrived, God shifted my plans about writing,
and guided me to renew my efforts on this blog. He showed me that He wanted me
to write about the things He was teaching me, and to focus my writing on truths
from His Word. And here we are.
This summer, I am a writer. Now, that doesn’t mean that
writing is my “job” for which I get paid, (yet) but rather, that I have finally admitted that
writing has been a part of me all along, and now I’m seeking to use that part
of me for God’s glory as He directs. Lord willing, I will have two short works in print by the end of the fall, the first of which is that same research paper from the history class, and the other is a short devotional. There are several more books in the works, and it has been so exciting to see just how far God has taken my writing in the last year.
And as I finish up this summer of "taking writing seriously", I have
never been more grateful to that professor for his ministry of encouragement and the words God used to redirect me!
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24)
--Dear reader, who is it that God wants you to encourage today?