Knowing Your Why

When the deadlines linger and the laundry piles up and the kids get cranky and the critiques roll in … we must remember why we write. 

If we are writing to be heard or seen or known, our words will always fall short. 

If we are writing to help others hear, see and know the God who is deserving of all our praise, then our words will hit the targets they intend because they are words ordered by the Master.

Why do you write? Do you know it deep down in your bones?

I write because words are the simplest and most profound means by which I can share the good news of the One who has saved my soul. 

Words bring mystery to life and hidden thoughts into reality. They capture what our minds contain and help us see what has never been seen. 

Words give us courage, hope, a solid place to stand. Words are the ways that we can share what only lies within. 

Words spur us on in the journey to follow the unseen, and help us to connect with pure divinity. Words are the canvas of our hearts and, when handled properly with care, can lift a heavy burden and create a smile to spare. 

Words are my muse and the beatings of my heart. They are where the silence ends and the understandings start. From words, I share the depths within my soul and invite others to peek in and together aim to grow into all that God desires.  

So why do YOU write? 

There will be a day, or maybe there already has been, when the “why” of your writing will be met with adversity or rejection that will dare you to quit. 

It is only when we know the resolve of our “why” that we will be bound and determined to stick to the cultivating of words for the benefit of our own souls and the edification of others. 

When we know our “why,” we are willing to bend in meaningful and necessary ways that shift our communication styles, our word choices and our preferences in order to engage the reader and point them to the Source of our inspiration. When we know our “why,” we can hold all of the details loosely, staying focused on the end instead of the means by which the “why” is accomplished. We can let go of platforms and promises and unmet expectations in the face of rejection or heavy-handed critiques, while keeping our love of writing intact, if we know our “why” deep down in our bones. 

When you have poured out on paper the utterances of your soul and been met with fewer accolades than you hoped, you will have the courage to continue on … if you know your “why.” 

Know your “why,” dear writer. Know it and pen it upon something that motivates your soul. Write it on a neon sticky note, letter it on the inside of your Bible or ink it on your arm. Wherever you need to place your “why” to keep it on your mind, just place it there. 

By Dani Hardy, COMPEL Training Member