For His Name’s Sake

I assume you’ve heard of the proverbial Cobbler’s Children Syndrome where the cobbler is so busy making or fixing other people’s shoes that his children end up with no shoes to wear. That’s a bit how I have been feeling as a new author whose first book releases this fall. While I’ve been coaching, and hopefully encouraging, aspiring authors for many years as an acquisitions editor, it recently dawned on me that I wasn’t applying the truths I’ve been teaching to my own life and calling as a new author. 

If you’ve heard me teach workshops at Speak Up, you know that I often share about keeping an eternal perspective when it comes to your writing or speaking ministry. I teach about writing for an audience of One, and viewing your writing or speaking as an act of worship. I challenge aspiring authors and speakers to ultimately surrender the outcome to God once they’ve done the hard work of submitting a book proposal or getting their name out there as a speaker.

But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it?

A few weeks ago, I found that my heart was anxious about my book after it was sent to the printer and I pivoted to focus on the marketing of the book before it releases in September. I often remind authors to trust that God goes before them and behind them in their journey to write a book. But I was grappling with fear of failure and second-guessing that God had truly called me to write my book. 

That’s when God stopped me in my angsty author tracks with a convicting, yet beautiful verse in His Word:

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” Psalm 115:1 esv

O, that we could remember that our focus needs to be on making His name more known through our writing or speaking. Imagine if instead of fear, we have the prayerful and surrendered heart posture of: 

Jesus, please help me to remember to use my writing or speaking to glorify Your name, and not mine. May my writing and speaking be used to share with others about Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness. I want it to be all about You, Jesus!

May it be so for all of us as we seek to faithfully serve Him with the gifts He has given us.

Question:  What has God called you to do that sometimes produces anxiety and self-doubt?  What scripture are you clinging to that reminds you to focus on Him?

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