by Julie Zine Coleman @JulieZColeman

This week, we woke to a strange sound on our roof: the pounding of intense rain. It’s been one of the driest summers we have ever experienced in Maryland, and a soaking rain has been rare. So we rejoiced at the much needed relief. Steve cheerfully went in search of an umbrella for our dog’s daily constitutional. Rain or not, Maggie needs to be walked.

Most days bring their challenges. Spring rain might be cascading down, making us splash through puddles and mud. During the summer, the hot sun glares down as we shuffle through the hot, humid air. In winter, snow and frigid air can make the walk almost painful. But no matter what, we are more faithful to her walks than the proverbial postman is to his rounds. Weather conditions are really beside the point in Maggie’s mind.

That kind of resolve should urge us forward in our spiritual walk, too. No matter what the conditions around us, we are called to follow Christ. Sometimes the road is easy and filled with joy. Sometimes we can barely manage to place one foot in front of the other, so difficult is our journey. But we keep going. To halt would be to halt progress. To stumble backward would be to lose ground. So we keep moving forward.

A challenge in being called to write is that encouraging milestones in our journey can be rare. We labor over a project for endless hours, crafting, editing, agonizing over each thought expressed. When we believe it is ready, we fearfully place it in some editor’s hands, hoping against hope that they might at least see potential in our work.

I’ve stopped counting the number of times my work has been rejected. Probably over 70. Not unusual, I am told. But knowing this did not make those dismissals any easier to bear. In the period between career milestones, I would start to wonder: Did God want me to publish? Was it Him calling me to write or merely my own desire?

To counteract those thoughts, I went back to what I knew for certain God had called me to do.

There are some commands in Scripture for all Christians. We are to love Him with all our hearts, minds, and strength. We are to reflect the selfless love, sacrifice, and obedience demonstrated by the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to walk by faith, trusting God for each circumstance, that he will work His perfect will out in our lives.

God’s calls us to allow Christ to impact how we live each moment of our lives. Period.

In the end, it will not matter whether we wrote a bestseller or even got published at all. What might impress us does not impress God. In the end, what will be rewarded is our faithfulness, ordinary day-by-day faithfulness, to the God who saved us.

So that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart… He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.   2 Corinthians 5:12, 15 NASB

Julie Zine Coleman is an award-winning author, speaker, and member of the Pastoral Team at New Hope Chapel. She is the managing editor for the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association’s devotional website, Arise Daily. Julie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies and has authored four books including Unexpected Love: God’s Heart Revealed through Jesus’ Conversations with Women and On Purpose: Understanding God’s Freedom for Women through Scripture, which was named The Golden Scrolls Book of the Year as well as The Selah Awards’ Director’s Choice. Julie and her husband have four grown children, six grandchildren, and one crazy Golden Retriever puppy.