“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6
Why do you write? What motivates you to sit down with a quill and ink, pencil and journal, or type away at your laptop?
Is it the sound of ink flowing from your pen as you scrawl across the page in prose or rhyme? Is it the ease of tension when your thoughts finally flow, and making sense of the jumbled mess in your mind? Perhaps it’s the thrill from a story of a hidden hero, whose courage and chivalry must be made known. Perhaps writing is a means of escape, or even a means of finding yourself as you view life through the eyes of another.
Perhaps it is one or many of these reasons that you enjoy writing, but what is your root cause? Or may I even ask, why should we write?
Let’s start with our purpose. Not just as a writer, but our purpose as a soul.
Ultimately, our purpose as mankind is to bring glory to our Creator (Isaiah 43:7). What does that look like? When God first created man, He created us in perfect relationship with Himself. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they brought the first curse of sin into the world and broke their relationship with God (Genesis. 3, Romans 5:12). Since that moment in time, darkness descended, and estrangement from God ensued. Goodness was no longer the root of our hearts; we were born into sin (Rom.2:10-12). The penalty? Death and separation (Rom. 6:23). But since God loved man, He made a promise. A promise of restoration by sending His one and only Son, who was perfect and sinless, to die the most gruesome death on the cross in our stead. He died that He may restore the relationship between us and the Father, by forgiving our sins and redeeming us by His own blood.
Jesus cried out “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He defeated both sin and death, and gave us a way to be reconciled again to Himself (1 John. 1:9). But the story doesn’t end there. In light of our freedom and forgiveness, how then are we to live?
Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He commanded His followers to go and make disciples (Matthew. 28:19-20). Why? To share with all nations that there is hope in Christ, even amidst a broken world. Hope of forgiveness, light, life and truth.
But, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” (Rom. 10:14).
Our purpose, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is to be messengers of the hope that lies within us. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven… You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt 5:18).
But how can we be a light? “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). To those of us that God has gifted words, creativity and imagination, then use that gift that God has given you to spread that hope. You may feel that your voice is small and insignificant, but even a glowing ember in a dark world brings the smallest warmth and hope of light. Let that ember glow. Let it shine in your heart to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
The purpose of this blog, I pray, is to be used as an inspiration and equip others to write with a quill of light. To write with the purpose of glorifying our Savior, and to be a glowing radiance of hope amidst a dark and broken world.