A thought-provoking guest post from Donita Bundy.
Did you know Christians were referred to as “People of the Book” at least 1400 years ago? I love that name. Even then, it was evident to the world that Christians and Jews were people who related to their God through story.
Not only that, our Lord himself is the Word of God (John 1). To me this says that our God is a relational God. And when He’s not relating to us personally, He is telling stories of how He relates to us, personally.
Recently I have been reading through Romans and I have been challenged anew with this passage from Chapter 10.
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Romans 10:17-18 NIV
As I am not a natural evangelist, this passage has always caused me discomfort. However, this week God gave me an image which really helped.
Special delivery
Christians are God’s posties delivering His impartial invitation to the world. Our Father’s heart is to be in relationship with His creation. And extending His living invitation to the world is our job.
However, we only have to deliver His message to those we have been sent to. As I wrote in my blog this week, it gives me great comfort knowing that God is like the postmaster. He oversees the whole district, breaking the job up into achievable portions assigned to his workers for their particular circuit.
He (God, not the postmaster) even writes the mail and decides what format it will be presented in, and to whom it will be delivered.
For example, I live in a quiet country lane (literally and figuratively). There aren’t that many people on my publishing circuit. Which is understandable as I write YA urban fantasy, set in the ancient world, around people who are as broken and fallible as I am: small target audience.
However, some of you live on (figurative) highways and write romance and mystery, or other popular forms. But in truth, the number of people we deliver the message to is irrelevant.
Our job is to take the message that God has written, and deliver it to whom He sends us; God’s posties.
Ghost writer
11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:11 NIV
I am not saying that being a writer is like being on trial … although it can feel like that at times. But I believe the result is the same. We do not have to worry about what to say, as the Holy Spirit will speak through us.
Therefore, what I need to focus on is the message I have been given. To work at becoming a clear conduit of the Holy Spirit.
I pray each day that God would not only anoint me for the task at hand, but that I might get out of the way, so His word makes it onto the page.
Last week Belinda wrote about praying about our writing. Praying through the sticky issues, the blocks, the twists, the anxiety. There is no issue too small or too great for God to intervene within our writing. For, at the end of the day, the size of our circuit compared to someone else’s is irrelevant, because it’s the same God we are glorifying.
Our goal is to be in tune with the Spirit in order to discern the Father’s message written on our hearts and in our minds, so it flows onto the pages we send out as God’s posties.
Postmaster
God has not left Himself without a witness. He has us. He has challenged and gifted us with the responsibility to carry His word to the ends of the earth through the words He has placed on our hearts and in our minds.
Between us and the multitudes of others out there, God has all the bases covered – from YA urban/historical fantasy, to romance, to mystery, and every genre in between, as well as all the other forms of Gracewriting.
We don’t have to go to everyone. Our challenge is to hone our voice so that His message will reach those on our circuit.
Posties don’t compete against each other; they work together to get the mail delivered. We encourage each other to discover and develop the unique individual we were designed to be.
We are the People of the Book. Our Lord is the Living Word. He has given us the privilege of being posties; carry His living, relational word, through poetry, prose, and portraiture to the world.
Donita Bundy is a writer and writing teacher who was appointed the inaugural Somerset Writer in Residence in 2019. Her debut urban fantasy Dangerous Salvation was published in 2020, the first in a YA series of seven.
Thanks, Donita – love this idea of us as posties for God – He is the Postmaster – we just have to be available to pass on the messages we are given. And the idea of working together to get the mail delivered – we are not on our own. Blessings
I felt as though Donita’s metaphor took some of the pressure off, Glennis. Thanks for your insights as well.
Yes, Donita’s metaphor is great, especially in light of how many postal workers are at work throughout the world. They just need to focus on their own route!
So true, Dawn. We don’t have to “save the world”, just make the deliveries we’ve been tasked with…
Hi Donita,
Thank you so much for sharing this piece. I found your writing both challenging and encouraging.
I particularly loved “The People of the Book” historical reference and the notion of being Gods postal workers was wonderful!
The part that spoke of only delivering to those who God has placed in our path by following the leading of the Holy Spirit, was full of wisdom.
Keep writing!
Sue
It really got me thinking, too, Sue. Thanks for dropping in a sharing encouragement with Donita.