by Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes, Ed.D. @khutch0767

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection (Psalm 91:4 NLT).

When I faced a life-threatening illness, I spent a month in a secluded ICU room for neurological traumas. I was the only person in my unit who wasn’t on life-support. Most of the other patients left our floor in body bags, except me.

Miraculously, I recovered enough to be released home. Then began the slow path to healing. Before my release, I promised God I would revisit my deep desire to write. I figured that since I’d regained my health, the floodgates of ideas would flow, and soon, I’d be writing book after book.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, I battled depression and chronic pain. I fought to keep my family intact. I had to learn to walk and drive again. The sheets of classical piano music I’d grown up playing looked like a foreign language. Thoughts of pursuing a writing career began getting fuzzier.

I was fortunate. I successfully transitioned from a career in school administration to being an educational consultant. I stayed married. Raised four children. I began writing again. Slowly. Years later, I work full-time in the publishing industry. I’m grateful and content, but there are still times when I struggle to find divine inspiration.

The tactics I used when things seemed hopeless in my ICU room still apply to those times when I need extra encouragement. I tweaked them to apply to our writer’s hearts. They are the following:

1. Remember––we all may face rejection, struggles, challenges, and painful emotions––including Christians. Experiencing these occurrences alongside faith feels confusing, but it’s normal. Remember, tough times are temporary. There is something better waiting for us each time we put our trust and hope in God.
2. Relate––to others and consistently find ways to connect with people. Work at selflessly helping other writers. Ask others if they have prayer requests, praise reports, or something they’d like to discuss.
3. Rest––our thoughts, bodies, and concerns through relaxation techniques, adequate sleep, and time away from our mobile devices.
4. Recharge––meditate on bible verses that inspire and refresh us. Consider memorizing passages and placing them in places where we’ll see them. My favorite is Psalm 91:4, a constant reminder that God watches over us. We can also cultivate healthy, positive relationships with others that encourage and spiritually uplift us.
5. Race––to do God’s will. Run to our goals in an all-out sprint. Tomorrow isn’t promised to us, so we must do everything possible to spread God’s love, hope, and love through our spoken and written words.
6. Restore––our broken relationships, especially if it is with God. Ask for forgiveness and move on. We must constantly work to rebuild those relationships with people God has called us to connect with and not live with regret. Sometimes, our most broken relationships are the ones we have with ourselves, which must be restored.

The notion of divine inspiration can differ depending on the individual. Some of us see it as an elusive and ethereal force, while others may perceive it as the fruit of persistent labor. It may emerge as a sudden burst of energy in the present or become apparent only in hindsight. Often, we believe it to be reserved for others.

Nonetheless, we can create an environment that fosters more divine inspiration in our lives by remembering God’s goodness, resting in God’s promises, giving our bodies a chance to heal, recharging using biblical passages and positive people, racing to do God’s will and achieve our God-given purpose, restoring brokenness with our relationship with God, others, and within ourselves.

Author, speaker, educational consultant, and editor–Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes, Ed. D. has had her hand in leadership for many years. She loves speaking to groups and delivering messages with a quick wit and real-life stories. Katherine is a freelance writer/content editor, a content editor/writing coach for Iron Stream Media, and a sensitivity reader for Sensitivity Between the Lines. She is a review board member and contributor to Inkspirations (an online magazine for Christian writers), and her writing has been published in Guideposts. Her work in art/writing is distinguished by awards, including the New York Mayor’s Contribution to the Arts, Outstanding Resident Artist of Arizona, and the Foundations Awards at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022). She was a finalist in the Genesis Contest ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers/Romantic Suspense 2022). She is a finalist for the Claymore Award 2022 (Thriller Division) for the best-unpublished manuscript. She is a member of Word Weavers International and serves as an online chapter president and mentor. She belongs to FWA (Florida Writers Association), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), CWoC (Crime Writers of Color), AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association), and AASA (American Association of School Administrators). She serves on the board of the nonprofit organization Submersion 14 and is an art instructor and virtual exhibition specialist for the nonprofit organization Light for the Future. Katherine is the host of the podcast Murder, Mystery & Mayhem Laced with Morality. She has authored a Christian Bible study for women and is currently working on the sequel and prequel to her first general market thriller novel, “A Fifth of the Story.”