From a tender age, I have had the penchant for writing. However, that desire or call to encourage and inspire others, in and outside my sphere of influence, with my writings was totally ignored and buried in the abyss of procrastination. Why did I take the procrastination route? Fear, I guess. I now know that fear is the “molotov cocktail” that destroys lives and dreams. It dredges deep holes of doubt, hinders advancement, burns away at aspirations or deters the grasping of the branch that waves vigorously before one’s eyes.
As I marched with the beat of the passing years and pursued well-planned goals, my many beautiful writings of yesteryears vanished into forgetfulness. However, my desperate effort to stifle the pressing call to write proved to be unsuccessful. I was constantly reminded by annoying jabs to pursue this gift. Their haunts became inescapable. I am constantly reminded of those painful moments when I was thrust into situations that forced me to put my gift into practice by writing skits, plays, poetry or magazine articles. Those times brought awareness that oft times humans try to resist God’s call, but He has a great sense of humor. He allows us to meander, then places situations in our paths that cause us to respond to His calls.
Furthermore, God uses different ways to hammer away and break down our stubbornness. As mentioned before, I was forced into unwelcomed situations, but I took control and ensured that those fearful moments were never repeated. However, it didn’t take long for me to be reminded once more that I am not in control of my life. God is!
The humor in this whole story is the manner in which I was harnessed. The large wall library in my office was, and is still stacked to capacity with books with no space for the minutest floating dust to make its home. As a result, I bought a book case and gave it its own space in one of my garages, but that too cried out for more space. Alternatively, I turned to boxes and shipping barrels to store the surplus. Well, the day finally arrived when the garages were favored with the long-awaited decluttering and sorting of items for donation to some worthy cause.
It was during my task that I came upon a book given to me over 30 years ago by someone whom I tried to identify from the letter that accompanied the book. I have since given up the herculean task of trying to put a face to the name penned at the bottom of the letter. As I held the book in my hand, still unread despite the many years that it has been in my possession, its title was the boulder that pushed me to my computer and had my fingers pounding rapidly away at the keys. What is so special about the book’s title—The Great Expectations by Charles Dickens? It was the message it conveyed—it’s that great expectation that God has of me. It has since materialized into the publishing of seven inspirational books for adults and children, a poetry book and others soon to be published.
The axiom, “We can run, but we cannot hide” rings true in every aspect of life. We should never quench our God-given gifts but grab the baton and run the marathon. It will bring God the glory.