Another rejection.
This one came quickly, mere days after the proposal was submitted.
“Doesn’t meet our needs.”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think “We just didn’t like it” would be more on point.
This is not my first rodeo, as I have been down this road before. I don’t use cliches in my bigger projects, so I’ll just load them up here in this space. You’re welcome.
You would think I would be used to the rejection, that I would just shrug my shoulders and say, “Oh well, it’s okay, not Your will, Lord.” That would be the mature way to handle it. Is that actually how I handled it?
Hard no.
As much as I tried to give it to God continually, I pouted for two or three days. I alternated from “It’s Yours, Lord, I submit to Your timing and Your will” to “When will it be my turn again? Why not me?”
Cue up the Judds. If you get that reference, it may be time for your meds.
When I finally decided to end my pity party, I remembered that phrase I heard years ago. I have said it over and over and even tried to comfort others with it.
Disappointment is His appointment.
Ouch! My own advice, coming right back at me and hitting me in the head. It would hurt even more if it wasn’t so true.
If this particular relationship with a publisher was God’s will, it would have happened. Since it didn’t, I realized it was NOT His will. Somewhere out there (cue Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, see phrase about meds above), there is a publisher for my project—the right publisher and the right editor for my work. Let’s face it, my sense of humor is not for everyone. If you have made it this far, you are truly one of my people. Now, start a publishing company and give me a call.
While I wait for the NEXT BIG THING, I have His appointment to try something else: a different piece, a different proposal, a different genre I have not tried yet. Public speaking? Maybe . . . I have only been teaching it for many, many years.
I am off to pursue my next adventure. God has never let me down, and I know He won’t now. What will the next publisher say?
“Mama, he’s crazy . . . but we like him.” A guy can dream, can’t he?
Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.
No Comments