By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Genesis 1:26 tells us we are created in the image of God. To grasp what this means to writers, I would like to  explore three critical points why the gift of writing is critical to reflecting a Christian worldview. This will help define the joy and purpose of our extraordinary gift as writers. 

1.  A Christian writer’s purpose is to show the hope of heaven. 

How can we take the hope of heaven and show the manifestation of God in our writing? Do we invest in our careers to impact more people? Or do we write for only ourselves? See Matthew 25:14-30 ESV

When writing instructors encourage us to write what we know, they want us to use our life experiences to qualify and quantify our projects.

When we are challenged to write what we don’t know, the resulting research stretches us to learn and share new information.

Not every reader knows the meaning of salvation, redemption, conversion, justification, etc. Those words mean different things to different people. Some have no idea what they mean. So don’t toss Christian words like a huge pill to digest. Instead, show the meaning in your writing projects that reflect those concepts and serve to bring others closer to God.

I’ve often said if I don’t learn something spiritually and become a better person during the writing process, then I’ve failed readers, myself, and God.

2.  A Christian writer begins with a journey.

Moses spent 40 years in the desert developing his leadership skills to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. His experiences ushered the way for him to write the first five books of the Bible.

David had to wait years before he could lead Israel as King. While he waited, he learned the art of servanthood, leadership, how to be a soldier, and wrote many Psalms.

The Apostle Paul learned to lead others in a relationship with Jesus, but first, he discovered how to love others.

Every writer’s journey starts with the Road of Beginnings, our Genesis, then continues down the path He’s orchestrated.

• The relationship with Jesus Christ opens our hearts to God’s purpose in our lives.
• The calling of God upon our lives to recognize a special gift.
• The acceptance of the gift of communicating through the written word.
• The prayers of preparation knowing the road ahead will be difficult.
• The organization of the learning process: craft.
• The task of writing every day.
• The joy of reading every day.
• The knowledge of helping other serious writers.

3.  A Christian writer understands the meaning of sacrifice.

Do you ever wonder why so many writers are melancholy? We experience life differently. We feel deeply. We drink deeply from the well of imagination. We weep at the sight of beauty and injustice. And we are easily broken.

Why broken? A writer must be able to see and feel God’s perspective. We must be emptied of ourselves and look up while we crawl through raw emotions. If we aren’t willing to see life through God’s lenses, we certainly can’t write reality with hope.

Writers are to embrace transparency, not as needy people but strong Christians who practice empathy.

We claim we have a passion for a writing project. The word passion comes from the Greek, “to suffer.” Are we willing to sacrifice and suffer to help others better themselves?

We grumble about not having enough time to write. Place God as your #1 priority, and He will show you when and how to develop your gift.

Sacrifice is beauty, encouraging writers to hold their words close to their hearts and then release them to the world.  

Perhaps in feeling comfortable with our uninterrupted lives, we’re inviting failure because we’ve accepted complacency as our soul-cry instead of Jesus.

God will help us but He wants and expects 100% of our efforts.

Can we open our arms to the world, sacrificially write until we bleed raw, shed tears, and find gratification in giving our gift, then do it all over again? 

When God gifts us with the power of writing, He infuses our hearts with a desire to share His message through our voices. 

Like gentle rain on thirsty ground, acknowledging our creativity is to accept the gifts the Father has given us and shower them on others.

How do you view your gift of creativity?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Mountainside Marketing Conference with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

Follow DiAnn on Twitter: @DiAnnMills