Writing Isn’t For Wimps

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Publishous

7 min readDec 18, 2017

Let’s just put it out there…writing isn’t for wimps. For some it’s a hobby or a passion, while for others it’s a calling. But with it often comes the rocky terrain of longing, insecurity, and rejection.

“Will anyone read what I’ve written?”

“If they read it, will they like it?”

“Will my words encourage, uplift, educate, or positively influence in some way?”

And then there’s the pressure of growing your reach, that dreaded word, “platform.” As if it isn’t hard enough to craft words in a meaningful way. What’s the point if no one benefits from it? If your words don’t resonate with your reader?

As a speaker and writer, and even as a neuropsychologist in my day job, I’ve had to take a deep look at my motivation for writing, and what is my definition of “success.”

When I reflect back on my life as an author, I realize that I learned six things that help me keep my focus on what’s most important.

1. We write out of obedience to God’s call.

I write because truly, I don’t have a choice. God has called me to influence the world for Him through my words. When I don’t write, I feel ill at ease, as if something is inside me just waiting to be birthed. There is a restlessness within that compels me to write.

When God calls us to write, He is our “Audience of One.” While I agree that we need to keep our reader in mind when we write, ultimately, I write for Him. I write to express what He has put on my heart. And I write out of a desire to please God, not man. Attempting to please man just leads me to writing paralysis. I second guess myself, and wander down the “what if?” trail.

Frustration can ensue when we focus on who will read our work or if anyone will read it. The truth is: when we are obedient to God, He will ultimately provide the audience who needs to hear our message. When I remember that, I am freed to focus on the words instead of hopscotching ahead to the fans at the finish line.

2. If things get tough, it probably means you’re doing something right!

The enemy doesn’t bother with those who aren’t a threat. Bishop Ryle said, “The very fact that the devil has pinpointed you as his opponent should fill your mind with hope. For to be at peace with the world, the flesh and the devil is to be at enmity with God.” That should encourage us that when we face adversity, perhaps we are on the right track and should be considered a threat.

I have found, however, that if the enemy can’t defeat you, he will at least try to distract you. How? Through thoughts like, “I’m a failure,” “No body cares,” or “This is a waste of time.” He will also bring life situations that serve as a distraction from our call.

The day my first book Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression released, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. We had looked forward to release day for years. Yet when the day came, we were distracted with our new normal of doctor’s appointments, tests, and surgeries. At a time when I “should” have been focused on celebrating and spreading the word about a new hope-filled resource, instead our attention was diverted to the more immediate, life crucial needs. Curiously, it was as if he was taunting, “Do you still believe hope prevails?” Yes, yes I do. And I would wait to see that proven over the next year.

3. Often our best writing comes from our personal experiences/trials, where with our readers we can say “Me too.”

Frequently, our worst messes become our biggest opportunities for ministry. I began writing Hope Prevails out of a desire to provide a resource that would extend beyond the four walls of my private practice. Two weeks after I agreed to write the book, I became deathly ill. Five months of surgeries, IV hydration and nutrition, dangerous weight loss, and bed rest left me unable to see patients in my private practice, unable to be much of a wife or mother, and unable to write. That illness led to the dark night of my soul as depression infiltrated my mind.

Little did I know at the time, but that illness and subsequent bout with severe depression led to a reworking of that book, and ultimately sharing from my personal experience with depression, rather than from a clinical doctor’s perspective. As a result of that experience, I am now part of the community that can say, “Me too,” with greater understanding and compassion than I otherwise would have.

Scripture says we “defeat the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony” (Revelation 12:11). The enemy wanted to divert me from my calling to write, but now, I write out of my experience in order to encourage others.

4. Instead of asking God to get you out of a situation, ask Him what He wants you to learn in that situation.

God’s ways are higher than our ways, and what the enemy intended to harm us, God will turn around for good: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good” (Genesis 50:20). Instead of destroying me with illness and depression, God now uses my message to encourage others who are going through similar difficulties.

Through the times when I was uncertain how I would make it through my circumstances, or how I would complete what God put forth for me to do, I’ve come to realize that if God brings us to it, He will see us through it. We don’t have to know how, we need only do the next thing He has asked us to do, and leave the rest to Him.

5. Resist the urge to compare yourself and your call to others.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” When we compare ourselves and our call to others, we take our focus off what God is doing in and for and through us, and focus on what He is doing in, through, and for others, and ultimately lose our joy. If God wanted you to share their message, he would have given it to you, but He didn’t. Each of us has a place and has a unique voice that He wants others to hear.

It’s so tempting to look at what others are doing and feel insignificant or unimportant because they seem to have it altogether and are more accomplished than are we. Be wary of comparing your back stage preparation to others’ onstage performance. When we look at others, especially through the lens of social media, we get only a snippet of their journey, and even their current position. We don’t know what they had to walk through to get to where they are, and likely, if we did, we might not want it then.

6. You are responsible for sowing — God is responsible for the harvest.

If we remain steadfast and obedient, God will do more than we can ask or imagine. Writing is a journey that is ever changing as we grow personally and in our craft. It’s unrealistic to expect immediate success, but it is reasonable to look at each article, blog post, newsletter, or book as a stepping stone to the ultimate place for which God is preparing us.

Early on in my career, when I had just started writing seriously, someone encouraged me that I was anointed to share good news to the nations. I filed that little tidbit of encouragement away in my heart as I often returned to it on hard days, wondering how God would use me. Meanwhile, I kept plugging away at the next thing in front of me: the next blog post, the next radio interview, the next book contract. Several years later, after my book Hope Prevails released, I received an email from a young girl in Africa. She had attempted suicide many times and was in need of encouragement for how to rid herself of the depression that plagued her. She found my book in a bookstore that was going out of business. She wrote to tell me that my book was the key to not only give her hope, but to show her the way out of that pit. I wrote the book in obedience to God’s call, but He was responsible for the harvest, and part of that was spreading its word to other nations where a young girl was in need, fulfilling the word I had been given years before.

So while writing isn’t for wimps, it’s a privilege and an opportunity to positively impact others beyond what we might ever expect. Know your motivation for writing, then stick with it, trusting that it will serve a greater purpose at the right time.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson (Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University) is an international speaker, and the author of the bestselling “Hope Prevails: Insights From A Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression” and the newly released companion “Hope Prevails Bible Study.” She has been a neuropsychologist for more than twenty years, and is now in private practice in Southlake, Texas where she evaluates, diagnoses, and treats children and adults with a variety of medical and mental health disorders. This doctor knows pain and despair firsthand and combines her professional expertise and personal experience with her faith to address her patients’ issues, both for those who suffer and the ones who care for them.

Using sound practical tools, she affirms worth and encourages faith. Dr. Bengtson offers hope as a key to unlock joy and relief — even in the middle of the storm. She and her husband of thirty years have two teenage sons and reside in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She blogs regularly on her own site: http://www.DrMichelleBengtson.com

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Author of “Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression” and the “Hope Prevails Bible Study”

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