on faith: in writing and in life

I know when I start leaving car doors open, I'm experiencing extreme overload. Several times, over the past several weeks, my neighbors have discovered the same scene: my car parked in the driveway with the back passenger door wide open. Apparently, getting myself and two small children inside the house is a challenge. Dillon is old enough to climb out of his car seat, but he forgets to shut his door, and I forget to check. I'm sure it's no coincidence I've also experienced a block in my creativity... pieces of story trapped inside... like water pushing up against a dam. The pressure compounded, leading to the "I can't take it anymore!" feeling that washes over me every so often.

This past week, we went on a family vacation. The change of pace and scenery led to a breakthrough in my writing... scenes rushed to the surface, waking me before dawn, compelling me to sneak down the stairs and fire up the laptop.

I'm finally learning to see "writer's block" as an opportunity. Perhaps it's calling me to rest, to surrender. To accept my physical and emotional limitations and give myself a break. I hear a quiet voice telling me to stop resisting, stop trying to kick down the wall. I also hear it saying, "Relax. Live a little, will ya? Trust me. Wait for the opening. A window of inspiration will reveal itself."

I love the saying, "God wants more for you than you could ever want for yourself." I believe that. So I must let go of hard and fast ideas of how the story will evolve, what it will become.

For me, this is the deepest act of faith, in writing and in life.