Put up or shut up

It’s hard to believe this is my 28^th blog post.  (I know I shouldn’t admit this but) What surprises me most is how much I have enjoyed it.  In my very first blog, I talked about feeling like anything I said would be stupid, who would want to read it…etc.  Now I realize, it doesn’t matter. 

Yes, I would like for my blog to be widely read.  Yes, I would like to receive favorable comments (A big thanks to all who have commented.  They are encouraging).  Yes, I would like for my readers to walk away with something—hope, encouragement, a smile.  But the most important thing is obedience.  I am called to write and blogging is something I should have been doing as soon as I became technologically able. 

Through the years, I have gone from pen and paper to typewriter, word processor and computer.  I have used carbon paper, whiteout and the delete button (a lot).  I’ve gone from snail mail to email to the cloud.  Several things have changed over the years but one thing hasn’t.  I am never more satisfied than when the characters in my head come to life and spill their story out into the world.  It is a bone-deep, soul-hunger satisfaction. 

Do I get frustrated when my characters want to go a different direction than I was planning?  Certainly!  Staring at a blank screen while waiting for them to decide what comes next is never a good place to be (arguing never helps).  Are there times when the business of writing seems overwhelming?  Absolutely.  But none of that alters the satisfaction.

So, where does the put up or shut up come in?  In this blog, I have been chronicling the changes in my life in the last two years.  Most of them lead to an ‘I need to change’ decision. Have I actually implemented the changes?  Honestly?  Some things, yes; some things, no.

These last few weeks, lack of sleep and pain have been my constant companion.  Once again, I was walking the floor at 3:30 a.m. speaking scriptures over myself and God brought to mind some of my blogs.  It was an ah-hah moment.  In the past, when I hit a wall like this I would back down (shut up); not believe I could overcome or was good enough for God to move in my behalf.   

He asked one simple question; ‘This time, are you ready to move on?’ (put up). 

The move is on.