IN MANY WAYS, my writing journey has been like my faith journey. I entered into both with a lot of hope and a bit of nervousness. You see, I didn’t get baptized until I was in my twenties and didn’t first get published until I was in my thirties. Some people might consider those events to have happened a little late in life. However, I feel certain that God knew each took place at exactly the right time for me.
To be honest, these days I rarely stop to think about my life before I was a Christian or a writer. I simply wake up, drink my coffee, and try to get everything done that I can each day! I feel blessed to be a part of a large church family, to have my husband and children, and to enjoy a busy career. But every so often, someone will ask why I write inspirational novels. Or why I write at all.
Then I remember how it felt to knock on a minister’s office door and tell him that I wanted to be baptized; and how it felt the very first time I wrote “Chapter 1”—both felt exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
Perhaps you are a little bit like me. Maybe you, also, developed your faith a little after some of your friends or family. Maybe you, also, began a new job in a field that you didn’t go to school for. Maybe you started on a journey where you weren’t sure you were going to be a success or even fit in.
Or maybe, like me, success wasn’t what you were hoping to attain. Maybe it was a matter of following a power bigger than yourself. If so, I’m glad I’m in good company. I’d love to know your story, too.
Now I have been a Christian for almost thirty years. I’ve been a published writer for about half that time. Both journeys have not always been easy. Both have been filled with ups and downs. Yet, both have given me much joy, too. I’d like to think that anything worth having takes some hard work. It takes some time to grow and mature, too.
And because of that, I am comfortable with the fact that I’m still on my journey, one morning at a time.
With blessings to you,
Shelley Shepard Gray
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