5 Ways You Know You Are Called To Write

5 Ways You Know You Are Called To Write

As I typed the words on the paper, mixed emotions filled my mind. Were my words worth it? Did they make any difference? The sacrifices made felt weighty in the moment, and the sting of a recent rejection made me feel foolish to continue my quest to be a “writer.”

This calling to write can sometimes feel uncertain, especially when we try to confirm our calling by our performance or “success” instead of by the gifts and passion that God has placed in us. Our calling was never meant to be validated by numbers. And success is more about faithfulness than it is popularity. 

Still, we can struggle to know that our calling is confirmed when it seems the words on the page are not making it to people’s hearts. Our heart is changed even as we write, but this does not seem to be what Jesus meant when He said to go.

So how do you know that you are called to write?

1) Passion. You can’t not write. Yes, I know that is a double negative. Even in the face of rejections and the struggle to make time for what your soul loves, there is this passion that you cannot hide. Don’t let the seeming obscurity of your writing endeavors prevent you from doing what your soul was made for. The number of people in an audience was never supposed to be our motivation in the first place. Don’t let anyone else’s estimation of your calling trump God’s.

2) Inspiration. You sense God’s presence and are amazed at what God gives you as you spend time writing with Him. It is a place of worship for you, in which the words heal you as you write them. If for no other reason than time in worship with God, it is worth it to write.

3) Conviction. You have had a moment where you knew God was telling you to write. It might have been a blog post. A devotion. A song. Or maybe even a book. Somehow this story that is yours and God’s needs to be shared. This is biblical. (Matthew 28:10) We were told to go and share the gospel, and this includes our testimonies. When you sense friction in this calling, follow the conviction. Have appropriate boundaries, but be diligent to cultivate the message that God has placed in your heart.

4) Compassion. Your soul aches for others as you craft each word. You find yourself praying, or weeping even, to help others understand God through their trials. This is where we see our struggles come full circle. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.” (2 Corinthians 1:4a, NLT)

5) Foundation. Even with busy schedules, you crave time to slip away and write. Writing is the foundation of what you do and who you are. You think better by writing to process your thoughts.

Our calling to write is not validated by our feelings. If we are willing to examine our hearts and sift through what distracts us from the pure desire to write, we discover that our calling is not as complicated as it seems. We were made to create in chorus with our Creator — the most glorious message of all. Other people’s opinions, perceived or real, do not determine this calling. Success is not measured by numbers but by faithfulness. God receiving glory through our writing is the highest measure of success for our work.

Written by Denise Pass

Share

Kate Shepherd is the Project Manager for COMPEL Training and joined the team at Proverbs 31 Ministries in 2021. With a passion for writing and a lifelong calling to elevate the voices of the women around her, she is beyond thrilled to be on the COMPEL Team. A true entrepreneur at heart, Kate has helped launch businesses and served in the marketplace for several years as a strategist, copywriter and content creator. Kate and her husband David live in North Carolina with their two wild and wonderful boys. You can connect with Kate on her website www.kateshepherdwrites.com or on her social media channels.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Reading daily Prov 31 devo it said I could connect to the blog but see no place to subscribe

  2. This is really helpful…. I feel most of this, but I’m still having trouble starting to write. I’ve started about 10 times now and can’t seem to figure out how to continue.

    • Oh, Christine, I get this! What do you think is holding you back? Ask God to reveal to you what is hindering you from moving forward in writing and then ask Him to reveal your motivation. I pray that you are inspired and able to figure out what is preventing you from writing. ❤️

  3. Love this. This is encouraging me today.

  4. This is spot on and just the encouragement I needed! Bookmarking this so I can come back and be reminded when I forget.

  5. Number 4 is made for me this morning! So many times, I thought “Don’t say a word about this awful thing that just happened to me or to my family”. I see that it isn’t necessary to tell my details. I understand that God is leading me to share Him and His word to tell how he comforts, heals hurts, restores a life. How he blesses with joy, love, satisfaction of a job well done, the desire to do good. My greatest urging from God right now is to write for my family. That makes my audience small but they are most important to me. Number 3 is an expression of me. I know my story with God needs to be shared with my family. Number 2 describes how I feel when I began to write, to rearrange words, weed out unnecessary words, delete a full paragraph and built a new thought. God visits me in my special place, in my special moment of creating. Thank you, Kate, for sharing Denise’s writing with me this morning.

    • Glynda,
      God is so faithful to meet each of us where we are at. I am grateful that you are encouraged in your calling as you minister to others through writing! Keep going in the strength and grace that God provides, friend!

  6. Oh how this is the prompt that my heart needed to hear! I truly loved reading this today. I needed this today! I journaled your words… and signed your name. I am flagging this to come back to time and again to remind me “Why” and Whom” is the reason and purpose. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    • Sharon,
      That is so wonderful to hear how God used this to bless you, friend! When we remember our “why” and “Whom”, our writing is a place of worshiping our sweet Savior and serves those who read it! Thank you!