Sheepish Submission

It’s been a while since I’ve written like this. Up early - looking out my window into the dark abyss - wondering what to say that hasn’t already been said.

I looked at today’s entry in Journey from the Ashes - hoping it would spark something inspirational.  Today’s entry was hard for me to read because I had so much more to say than what ended up on the page. I feel fear rising up that I may have missed the essence of what I was trying to get at.  

When this happens, I find myself reaching for the unedited version, longing for parts I wish I could have kept in.  It would have been more impactful if I had kept that sentence in, used that story, or maybe changed it altogether.

But dang, I could have done that hemming and hawing for years and it would never have moved off my laptop. Plus, this book is already 500 pages; it would have been twice that if I hadn’t listened to the editors and trimmed it down.

Ah, yes, doubt and second-guessing, I know you little buggers all too well.

• Is this even any good?

• Are people just rolling their eyes when they read it?

• What was I thinking?

• This is what I was afraid of; it’s not perfect, I shouldn’t have done it.

Oh, hush up already.

When God urged me to start writing, He didn’t ask me to be perfect. He didn’t expect it. He just asked me to trust Him and do it, one step at a time.

I had some sheepish submission.  I didn’t have the confidence to do it, but I did.  

And it’s done. It’s beautiful. It’s not perfect, but it is good and it is a work of love.

It helped me to do it, and I think it’s helping others too.

And now, here I am, and here you are.

And now it’s your turn.

Doing it doesn’t mean it has to be perfect.

Doing it doesn’t mean everything is going to change or that all your dreams will manifest.

Doing it means you will do the thing - just one thing - you were called to do and soon and then, there will be time to do another thing. And then another.

What is it you are feeling that urge to do?  

Please do it.

• Please don’t wait for it to be perfect. Because it won’t be.

• Please don’t wait to be perfectly qualified.  Because you won’t be.

• Please don’t wait. Please do the thing God is urging you to do.

It’s time.

I know you can do it.

I believe in you.

God believes in you.

Submission is allowing yourself to be subjected to something other than yourself.  Something greater.  Something wiser.

God is our wise shepherd, leading us forward, asking us to lovingly submit to Him.

Sheepish submission is still submission.

So baa baa baa all the way until it’s DONE!