By Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

I learned recently a very dear lady made her way to heaven. She was ninety-eight years old. Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas met Miss Betty at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference when she was eighty-five. We published, with great honor, her first book (and her second) – a composition of devotions with a dab of “elderly” humor.

For the next eleven years, Eddie Jones and I enjoyed the “joy” of an elderly woman with a teachable heart as I’ve never seen. What amazed me about Miss Betty was up until her death (remember she was 98), Betty was highly active on Facebook. She occasionally posted a picture, but most of her posts were encouragement, humor, and just sweet Betty. My email rarely missed a week that she did not respond to me about a writer’s devotion on Christian Devotions – and if she disagreed scripturally with the connection an author made, she let me know about it. I loved Betty, and I can speak for Eddie Jones – he loved her too.

I gasped when I saw she ventured over the clouds (which was her terminology, not mine). Oh, no. Miss Betty died.I waited for the tears, but they never came. Why? Because there is no need for tears for an angel. I believe God stood clapping His hands when Peter pulled open the gates for her. And in my imagination, I can see that boney little finger wagging at the Father in approval, bringing a giant grin to His face. Betty is happy.

As I look over my life and writing career, I wonder about the legacy I will leave behind when I slip to the other side of the clouds.

Miss Betty ordered ten books at a time. She would set up a table, with the help of her daughter or grandchildren, at local markets or craft shows, and she sold her ten books. I know selling her books was the pretense for her presence, but it was more an opportunity for Betty to offer God’s love through her sweet personality and deep faith. Betty wasn’t a best-seller – at least not on earth, but she was a great success.

Over the years, we’ve worked with authors and continually instructed them to network, market, and help sell their books. Sadly, many authors didn’t have the heart of Miss Betty. Betty proved marketing wasn’t about selling your book, though that was the benefit. It was about an opportunity to share Christ. “God tells me to love our neighbors, and I just come here to love my neighbors.” She’d say. The result – she sold all she could afford – her ten books.

As writers, we accept a huge responsibility when we flash the statement, “I wrote this story because GOD GAVE IT TO ME.” My response is your actions reflect what you believe about God. If you land a contract on the book God told you to write and it publishes, do you pat yourself on the back and snap a photo of it sitting on a bookshelf, or do you become a Miss Betty, taking every opportunity to share the work of God with those around you? Oh, don’t get sassy…I don’t mean self-promote. I mean, do you take the opportunity God has given you with this book and market for the Kingdom? I remind you of the parable of the talents. Do you bury yours or invest in it and grow it? When the master returns, will he say, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:23 ESV)? Or will He shake his head in disappointment at the opportunities lost?

We are given talents, a gift, and a passion for writing. What we do with those lies in our own hands. The words we pen are inspired when we pray over them and offer them back to the Father for His use. It’s easy to listen to the world and let our desire – our goal, of publication become the focus rather than what happens to that success once it’s given.

A writer’s success is not bound up in the awards we win or in the number of books we sell. The success of a writer is what they do with the gift when it’s given to them.

What is your legacy in writing? Giving back should be a priority. Join a critique group and share, and give back what you learn so that others can learn with you. Go to libraries and book clubs, share the book but share the reason behind the book. You remember that phrase you used, “God gave me this story,” right?

When you enter a contest, pray that the glory is His and not yours, and be grateful. If you don’t win, be stronger and more determined to share His words better the next time. Be an author that is a joy to work with, not one who is demanding and entitled. Have a teachable spirit and a willing heart. Be grateful—share opportunities. Encourage. Pray over your work and the work of others. Ask for opportunities to share the Kingdom through your work. Market the Kingdom, and you will market your book.

Can you see how wielding the words “Christian author” bear a responsibility? The master gave you five bags of riches. What have you done with them?

And what if you never become a traditionally published author with a large publisher? So what. I will end with the words of a mentor, teacher, friend, and past director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference – Alton Ganksy.

When you write for God, your words may never be bound between two covers and placed on the shelves of a bookstore. They may only be meant for the guy sitting next to you.”

 From time to time, check the legacy you are leaving. Are you a Miss Betty – a servant who invests in their gifts, or are you the one who accepts the gift and buries it? Leave a legacy of love.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and www.christiandevotions.us, as well as www.inspireafire.com. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning, best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com or www.wramsforwriters.com.