You Have a Work to Do

We all sometimes wonder why we write.

Nagging doubts and questions invade our minds:

“No one wants to read what you write. You are a nobody.”

“You will never be as good as John Grisham, or Jerry Jenkins, or Alton Gansky.”

“The time you spend writing and learning to write could be spent in more beneficial ways.”

Similar thoughts bombarded Susan about her singing. Bullied as a child and called “Susie Simple” at school, she knew the sting of rejection. Her homely appearance and humble beginnings caused many people to question her worthiness. But Susan knew that she could sing.  She dreamed one day of singing for the Pope and the Queen of England.

For years, she practiced her scales, took singing lessons, and sang at local Scottish pubs and her local church’s choir. She repeatedly and unsuccessfully auditioned for radio and television gigs. Thinking she was too old to begin a public singing career, she almost gave up.

Thankfully, she did not.

In April 2009, at age 47, Susan Boyle shocked the world on the television show Britain’s Got Talent by opening her mouth and singing I Dreamed a Dream from the Broadway hit Les Miserables. With the first line of the song, the world knew this woman could sing. Applause and cheers erupted throughout the aria, resulting in a standing ovation before Susan finished singing.

An overnight world-sensation, Susan’s world changed. Her debut album I Dreamed a Dream sold over 3 million copies — more than any CD in the world in 2009. Since then, Boyle performed for the Pope, the Queen of England, and numerous venues around the globe.

What if this never-married and never-kissed woman who lived with her cat in a small Scottish village listened to the negative voices? What if she believed, “Susan, you are a nobody. You will never be as good as Elaine Paige. You are wasting your time chasing pipe dreams.”

The world would have missed a phenomenal reminder that God uses faithful people hidden in obscurity.  He finds and selects normal folks who dutifully prepared themselves for their moments of opportunity.

The Bible says that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

The word “workmanship” comes from the Greek word poeima, which gives us our English words poem and poetry. In essence, you are God’s poem. You are special. He has gifted you with talents and experiences unique to you.

Susan Boyle may have felt many times like just another homely woman. But God had a different plan. She embraced her God-given gifts, developed her skills, and refused to quit trying. And it finally paid off.

So can you. When the voices of doubt and fear come knocking, remind yourself that you are God’s poem. You have a work to do.

Get busy honing those skills and learning how to write.

One day, the world may be waiting.