See this guy? I don’t talk about him a lot, but you should know that I’m not sure I would have ever started writing if it weren’t for him. He was (and is) my biggest encourager. It’s been almost ten years ago now that I first looked at him and said, “I want to write. I think I’ll start a blog.” I still remember what he said. He didn’t look at me and say, “You’re crazy.” (Though he may have thought it.) He didn’t say, “…Um, sweetheart, you’re an accountant, not a writer.” He didn’t say, “Are you sure about this?” Do you know what he said? “Go for it.”
And I did.
After writing a few posts and no one reading them except for him and my mom, I said to him, “Maybe this was a mistake. No one is reading them. Perhaps I should quit.” He didn’t say, “Well, you gave it your best shot, just move on.” He didn’t say, “Perhaps you’re right, you should just quit.” Do you know what he said? “Keep writing.”
And I did.
And even now. Even now, when people do read my words (thank YOU!), some days I still wonder if my writing can make a difference. I ask him, “Can anything I write possibly help another soul feel less lonely, less anxious, less sorrowful? Can it remind someone of the incredible love God has for them?” There are many ways he could respond to this, but do you know what he says? He says, “You are called to write. So write. Give it as an offering. And then leave the rest to God.”
And I do.
I’d like to think I would have started writing whether he encouraged me to or not, but I simply don’t know if that’s true. He believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself. And he believes in a God who still works in and through people—a God who is still at work in this world bringing redemption and restoration.
So this guy might be behind the scenes on this page, but he leads the way in loving God and loving his family. He leads the way in encouraging me and everyone else he meets to follow their calling. He leads the way in sharing God’s love and grace with others.
