by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28
Her eyes followed the dance instructor’s every move. On the periphery of the dance floor, she swayed to the rhythm of the music as he guided dancer after dancer across the ballroom. Waltz, foxtrot, swing dance. The instructor knew every style, and he became the perfect partner every dancer needed. Finally she found a teacher she could learn from and trust. Finally her dream of dancing would come true. Then he came her way.
Holding out his hand, he beckoned her to join him. One step, two, and then three. She learned to follow his lead. Hesitant steps became sure-footed as she adjusted to his pace. She understood how to anticipate their change of direction as he turned her hand in his, this way and that. At last. She was getting it. At last. She was dancing.
Dear writer, you’re the dancer, and God is the perfect instructor. Writing is a partnership between us and God. He guides us to know what to write about and how. He beckons us to the dance floor and trains us to follow His lead. One word, two, and then three. He guides us as ideas turn into sentences and paragraphs. Our chapters may be shaky at first, but with time and practice, we gain confidence because we’re listening to His voice and following His direction. He knows how to write every genre, and He does it perfectly. He entrusts us with a message to share and builds within us the right heart to share it.
So how can we dance with God as we write about His Word?
3 Ways to Strengthen Our Connection to God in Our Writing
Put God at the center of everything we do.
We have a lot to do as writers—writing, editing, blogging, platform building, networking, and more. It can be hard to manage all of the “dances.” But if we put God at the center of every project, we can listen for His direction and “watch” Him closely, following His lead. He knows what to focus on, when, and how much to do at a time. He knows what needs to be written next and how to go about it. Keeping Him at the center of our focus overcomes doubt and fear, and we develop the boldness and humility to write well with Him.
Take enough time to study Scripture with God and apply it to our lives.
At one point in my writing journey, I used my quiet time for my next writing assignment. I wanted to hear from God for each article or blog post, and that happens best during my personal time with Him. But I realized I needed some time for just me and Him. I craved more Bible study time with Him and making application for my own life and praying over it.
Sometimes our pace is like a waltz, and at other times, it’s a foxtrot. But always, we need special time with God in order to stay connected to Him. Just Him and us time. Our best insights come from time spent studying Scripture with its incredible Author. The insights we gain that way, along with daily experience with God, becomes the wellspring from which music in our writing flows. Time with God trains us to dance with Him through article after article and chapter after chapter.
Practice what God shows us.
Just as precious time spent with God prepares us to write—to dance—with Him, living out what we learn also prepares us. We understand the tug of war between God’s way and our own way, that precarious footwork needed to stay on God’s path. We depend on His help to practice what He is teaching us, and receive a behind-the-scenes look of how godliness grows. The more we practice what Scripture shares, the stronger our connection to our Partner grows, and the more we’ll know exactly what to write and how.
Which of the three ways above do you think is the hardest for the Christian writer to maintain? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Join us in the conversation!
Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. She loves connecting with writers and working alongside them in compilations, such as Feed Your Soul with the Word of God, Collection 1 which is a 2020 Selah Awards finalist. Lighthouse’s newest compilation, The Power to Make a Difference, was released in January 2020.
In addition to online magazines, Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, the Arise Daily blog, and three blogs on writing. She loves to spend time with family and friends, watercolor in her Bible journal, and do yard work in the summer sun. Connect with her at her blog, The Scrapbooked Bible Study, and on Facebook and Twitter.
The Conversation
Taking time to spend with God alone appears to be the hardest for me. There is always something to be done, someplace to go, or I just don’t feel like it right now.
It can be hard to sit still when there’s a lot to do. I find I need time with Him before all of the other stuff “makes sense” or goes smoothly. Something in my heart is just not right.
And thanks for commenting here, Monty!
Having ADD, reading or studying long pieces is lost on me. I have to do short bursts of reading to study. Oh, I can read long passages of Scripture, but studying them is another story. My attention wanders, or something sparks an idea for my WIP and I jump over to that. Finally, I gave up and gave it to God, asking Him to change me. He didn’t. He showed me if I take many short bursts of studying a single verse at a time throughout the day, in the end, it’s the same. It works for me. Now, all I need to do is strangle the tyranny of the urgent, which can sidetrack me.
Hi, Ane! The short bursts you mentioned are interesting. Sometimes I need to get up from the desk and while I’m doing something else, I understand something new about a passage or have an idea of what to write about. I like to think about Scripture right before bedtime too. That tends to be a short burst for me, but it can be meaningful. Thank you for sharing that! The tyranny of the urgent surely haunts us all.
This was a blessing to my heart; a reminder that I must first spend time with Him allowing my soul to be fed, before He can ever use me to help anyone else.