I’m not a huge fan of public
speaking or having people stare at me, however, I often find myself in
situations where I’m either standing in a room full of people talking about my
writing, or individually sharing what I enjoy most about being a writer. Such
was the situation at an event I attended awhile back. I had to share what I
believed was one thing that defined me. I listened as others who shared before
me talked about material things like, jewelry (wedding rings and other
heirlooms that were of great value to them) and when I stood up to speak, the
first thing that came to my mind was – storyteller.
I’m a writer, and while I do love writing and storytelling, I wouldn’t look at
them as things that define me, but rather things I know I’m called to do.
I spoke and said, I’m a writer and a storyteller. I believe everyone has a story and that
now, more than ever, there’s a need for outspoken, bold, courageous, and
authentic Christian writers to share stories that people need to hear... After I shared, my heart was
beating rapidly, again, I’m not into public speaking
(although I have a strange feeling I’ll be doing it more often in the future.
Guess I’d better get ready…) but as I wrapped with what I said, I was
approached by some older acquaintances who insisted we meet up some time and
discuss more of what I shared. I was also connected with published authors who
wanted to help me get published, too. Look at God. I was terrified to share, but
felt relieved and powerful.
Maya
Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story
inside you.” I couldn’t agree more. Whether someone is a Christian or not, I believe everyone has a story and a voice. It’d be terrible to silence them. It takes courage to write and share
stories. Writing isn’t easy, but one of the things I love the most about
it, is that when there are things I struggle with talking about, I know I can
always write about them. And that’s freedom. For a long time I felt stifled
playing things safe. I’ve faced
challenges being both a Christian and a writer that boxed myself in, out of
fear of being judged if I wrote about things other believers may perceive as too controversial or too touchy to write on (thankfully my audience isn't limited.) Writing and story-telling are just parts of
what I do, and I choose to be fearless, real, and believe in myself, because there are
people looking to me and I intend to deliver.