Writing a Novel

     It’s official. I’m setting out to write my first novel. Well, technically I’m setting out to finish a novel that is perhaps number fifty-one out of sixty-three ideas I’ve started writing or written down as an idea… I’ve never been quite so serious about one before. I’ve had some pretty good ideas before, and I have been a bit more excited, but honestly, this is probably one of the best plots I’ve ever had. Plus the characters… Whew, they blow me away!
     Okay, the above paragraph seems pretty out of place. It is, don’t worry. It’ll all make sense in time…
Not many teenagers get books published. Perhaps I’ll break the trend. Perhaps not. But finishing this project is something that I think God has put on my heart. It’s a pretty massive undertaking, and this wasn’t exactly screamed at me. There’s just been this small pull, and I’m going to keep praying that this is the right time, and that the right people are helping me. I’m praying a lot.
     I’m not sure that I truly knew what it meant to meditate on the words of the Bible. But I think it’s getting through. It’s hard to describe.
     I was never a false Christian, or anything. I always took my faith seriously. I loved God, and almost always remembered to lean on Him in the bad times. He’s helped me through a lot. Yet, even though I focused my life on being God’s servant, something never clicked. I’m not sure what it was. I don’t think I ever will. Everything still seems the same, but I know it’s not. It’s crazy. I was rarely lukewarm. Quite often, I was a searing-hot Christian!
     Maybe I’ve grown in my faith. Perhaps I’m closer in my relationship with God. I’m just… not sure.
Whatever it was that changed, though, I love it. For the first time in a long time, I’m not stressed about the future. I still think about it a lot, but I’m lacking the anxiety it caused. Perhaps I have grown by letting go of things like that.
     And do you know what those kind of things have been replaced with? This! These blog posts, all inspired by God. I’ve been kicked into hyper-drive and I’ve been studying God’s word, improving my mind and life, and I’m not feeling overwhelmed. Do you realize that I’m reading nineteen books, most of them daily? And that’s only about two thirds of what I’ve been doing! I’m invigorated. I feel renewed. Enough so to where God’s been asking more and more of me. I feel so blessed.
     Of course, I’m also terrified. Why would God choose me? It’s kind of insane when I look at the big picture of a few of the things. But guess what? In doubting ourselves, we doubt God, and I know that God can conquer anything!
     Remember last time? Yeah, I still don’t know what God wants me to do in that respect. I’m fairly sure it’s not this novel. No, I think it falls much closer to shining God’s light directly, but He’ll let me know when He’s ready.
     I just want to encourage anyone reading this to do what God’s calling them to do, whether it’s big or small. He has His reasons. And it usually takes a lot of guts. I mean, I’ve changed my entire daily routine (a very comfortable one) in order to get my life in order! But I felt that pull and I acted. I just hope everyone else will as well.
     “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.” ~Sarah Ban Breathnach