And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:11 (NASB)
We gazed at the burned stumps in amazement. The hollow trees stood as sentinels across the mountainside, testament to the fire-scorched path of 2018. Yet, the growth underfoot revealed new life. Our guide explained it was in part due to the pinecones dropped on the floor bed and the ashes from the burned trees that enrich the soil. He said when the fire reached the cones, they acted like corn, popping the seeds out to replenish the earth. Fire created pressure and the Jack Pine was first on the scene to reproduce. What an amazing God we serve, who created the earth to restore and renew His creation.
I began to wonder at the connection to my writing. When a submission is returned, it presents a choice. Will I grow from it, or will I walk away from it? If I choose to tweak it and send it to another publication, something new can come from that rejection. Rejection serves as a pressure cooker to propel me further along my writing path. And spreading the seeds of the printed word creates new opportunities for places to plant.
Exercise:
Ponder these questions.
What creates the fire in your belly that propels your writing?
How do you feel about the heat of rejection?
How does the pressure cooker of rejection regenerate to other places for submission?
When you write an article, how can it spark three to five more subjects?
When you receive a rejection, how can you water it to meet that editor’s needs?
What sizzle can you work in as a hook in the beginning?
What ladder of details will help you reach the top of your subject?
Isaiah 42:9 says God wants to do a new thing in your life. What will you study to enhance your writing?
What will you offer as a burnt offering, a soothing aroma to the Lord? (Leviticus 2:2)
No topic has to ever be burned by rejection.
Our trip to Glacier National Park in Montana opened my eyes to the regenerating potential of creating evergreen pieces for a forest full of ideas!
What piece will you dig out to send again?
Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum, Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon.
Visit Sally’s blog at sallyferguson.net
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