Do It Scared

Our evening was going smooth, or so I thought. My son and daughter-in-love were going out on a date, and I had the grands all to myself. After playing a game, supper was ready and then it was time to start the bedtime routine. Things began to unravel with brushing their teeth. What six-year-old doesn’t like to play in water? Faces washed, hands dried and pajamas donned, we settled in to read books. Seven-year-old Sophea began with a long story. Not to be outdone by his sister, six-year-old Graham wanted to sound out all of the words in his book, too. It just so happened to be about a little train that wasn’t sure it could get the train of toys across the mountain. We cheered each time he succeeded and found out he could!

After prayers and lights out, I sat in the stairway outside of their rooms to monitor little feet that couldn’t stay in bed. An hour later, the house was finally quiet, and I went down to clean up the kitchen. Guess who came down with his monkey? Yep, Graham said, “I’m scared.”

“Ok, I’ll finish wiping the table and will be up in five minutes.”

That was good enough for Graham and off he went to wait. Task accomplished, I went up to Graham’s room and found my grandson fast asleep in his bed. All he needed was a promise that I would be there.

Exercise:

What’s your bedtime/writing routine? Do you keep a record of submissions and a list of houses to query?

Who’s there for you? Who can you seek for assurance when you’re up against a deadline?

Anxiety dissipates when we know we’re not alone.

What will put your mind at ease? Are you patient or antsy while you wait for a response to your query?

What do you need to tackle even when you’re scared? Take a cue from six-year-old Graham and rest easy.

After Moses died, his aide must have been worried about stepping up to lead. But God told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)

Sure, rejection is painful, but we can wait confidently with a back up plan of next steps when we know we’re not alone in writing.

Who can you support so they can be confident they can, just like the little engine could?

Pull Quotes:

“The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIV