By Debb Hackett @debb_hackett

John 1:41-42

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. (NIV)

I’m a relative newbie at my current types of writing. Yes, I have years of writing radio copy and magazine articles, but books, creative writing and Bible studies, those are fairly recent developments. Even in my few short years in this adventure, I have seen the torture of the creative soul over and over. However, I don’t overly struggle with it myself. Hmm. 

What on earth do you mean, Debb?

Tell me if any of this sounds familiar: You share a couple of thousand words at your writing class; you send a chapter for a paid critique, or chapters to your critique partner or group; you submit a proposal to an agent, or your agent submits a proposal to your publisher; you release a book. 

And after doing any of these things, you want to: curl up in a ball, hide, cut off your WIFI so you can’t obsessively hit refresh on either email or the Amazon review page, vomit, cry, eat half your body weight in chocolate. 

I’ve read about and spoken to a lot of writers who wrestle with these feelings on a cyclical basis as the various stages of publishing take their toll on our mental, emotional, and yes, spiritual wellbeing. But maybe, just maybe, it’s time to take our wellbeing back. 

• In the Bible, we see Andrew the fisherman called first. Then what does he do? He goes to find his brother Simon (later renamed Peter), and brings him to Jesus. 
• A little later on, Jesus has been preaching a ways out of town and it’s gotten late. There’s a huge crowd. Thousands. And nothing to eat. The disciples start to get a little twitchy. They suggest Jesus send the people away to fend for themselves. But Jesus has a plan. He charges his team with finding food. And I suspect some consternation followed, along with some head scratching and beard pulling (fishermen, y’all). Finally, Andrew steps forward (it’s only in John’s Gospel that his identity is given), and says ‘here’s a boy with five loaves and two fish’ (I am paraphrasing). 
• And in a third instance, some Greeks come to meet Jesus. They approach Philip. Instead of taking them to Jesus, however, Philip brings them to Andrew and then Andrew takes them all to Jesus. 

In each account, Andrew does what he’s been charged with from the very beginning. He is a fisher of men. He gets someone on the hook and reels them in. For the purposes of the analogy, on the hook means in his presence and interested in Jesus. Reeling them in means bringing them to his Savior. What we do not see at any point, is Andrew getting stressed. He’s as mellow as a cow in the Chick Fil A parking lot. 

Such is his faith in his mission and the one who called him to it. Andrew understood that being obedient was his act of worship. What happened with his act of worship wasn’t on him. That’s all Jesus.

Well, fiddle. And thwack. Did anyone else just hear an arrow of conviction get fired at them? This Biblical truth isn’t an easy one to emulate, but wow, is it ever one to aspire to. But how? Glad you asked. Four steps.

1. Pray. When you sit at the keyboard, begin with asking the Lord to place his hands over yours as you type and to whisper the words into your soul. 
2. Listen. Listen to the words or plots you are given. But also, listen to the company of writers He has placed within your circle, be they instructors, editors, coaches, critique partners. 
3. Pray more. Stay in touch with the one who created you to create. Give thanks for this calling on your life. Dedicate this gift to His glory, not your own.
4. Trust. Yes, I know that’s hard. But worrying won’t bring about the next step in your journey, whatever that is. The chapter won’t flow better. The proposal won’t be received more smoothly. The publisher won’t answer more quicky or positively. The only thing that will be changed by worrying is your level of joy. Joy in a journey the God of the universe uniquely crafted you for. 

Be like Andrew.

Grow your faith in YOUR mission and the one who called YOU to it.

Writer, broadcaster and speaker Debb Hackett has been a radio journalist for more than twenty years. Married to a Royal Air Force test pilot, Debb has written a Bible study for military wives.

A regular contributor to the Advanced Writers and Speakers Devotional Arise Daily, she’s also been privileged to writer chapters for Write Well Sell Well. For now, based near London, England she’s having lots of fun working on a contemporary romance series and was an ACFW Genesis award semi-finalist in 2020.

When she’s not writing, Debb can be found leading worship, playing bass or skiing. If you can swing by her house while she’s making scones, that would also be a win.