Back in 2009, right after the release of my second novel, Interruption: The Gospel According to Crystal Justine, I was prompted to write a mission statement as part of a writing exercise. It was a way for me to define who I am–my purpose–as a writer, particularly in a publishing industry that loves to do that FOR writers and especially since my ambitions can get away from me from time to time. I’m re-posting this because I think it’s important to remind myself why I do this and I want to share it with the many new readers I have on the blog.
I am a writer. Even more than that, I am a scribe. Much of what I write is the transcription of something so much greater than I could ever imagine. Yes, even the bad stuff. Most certainly the stuff that I or “they” call good. It is my own journey and my own observations of the world around me that provide the context for my words. These stories are the layers between which a message is revealed. These revelations are born from great pain and brokenness which, after much misguided manipulation on my part, still inevitably leak onto the page. Beyond my own intentions, the words I write seem to transform themselves into a kind of divine intervention. Sometimes for the reader. All the time for me.
A scribe is a servant in a kingdom whose sole purpose is to translate the words of the King. As I grow as a writer, I realize that this call I have requires me to #1) keep my eyes open to everything and everyone around me, passionately empathizing with the many stories, both foreign and familiar, that I come across and #2) keep my ears close to the heart and desires of my Lord and King.This is so that what I see and the passion in which I process it can ultimately be transformed by the Holy Spirit; coming together as a blessing on the page. If I do that…which frankly I’m still learning everyday to do…then I know I can trust that God will be pleased.
I believe God made me for a purpose. He also made me a writer. When I write I feel His pleasure.
HeARTtalk - Healing Through Art and Story 