“It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is.” ~ Desiderius Erasmus
I am two weeks late in finishing this blog series. The only reason I can think of is I couldn’t quite find the right starting place. What I wanted to say wasn’t clear. Do you know why? I was unsure of my motive for this post.
The simple definition of the word motive is the reason for doing something.
It’s a bit different than the word intent which means that you purposefully acted upon an idea and planned it out.
My intent was to finish this blog series two weeks ago, but obviously, I lacked the proper motivation. Why am I talking about one’s motives? Because that was the last quality listed in Stephen Joseph’s article “7 Qualities of Highly Authentic People.”
Authentic people understand their motivations.
Now that I think about it, this idea of authentic motivation is the main reason I occasionally experience writer’s block. For many, writing is a source of income because it is something one does well. There is nothing wrong with that if your intent is to simply build a business from your skillset. Seriously, it’s a valid motive for writing. However, I don’t want to write just for the sake of writing. Truly, I only want one thing driving my motivations, especially in my writing. I have to believe that what I am writing comes from the heart of God. And, if it comes from the heart of God, then it has purpose in the earth.
I seem to be my most authentic self when two aspects come together–prayer and then the outflow of writing. I love to teach. I love to lead people to Jesus. I love to see others find the healing they desperately need. I love to push back darkness wherever it rears its ugly head. In saying that, I do not intend to bury myself in a cave of solitude adopting a “me and Jesus” attitude so that I can flow in my gifts without any interruption. That makes for a rather imbalanced member of the body who has no accountability. And, I believe there are usually self-preserving motives involved with those who do this. Maybe they have been deeply wounded and misunderstood. Or, they are disappointed and disillusioned because they see areas that need to mature within their church culture. Because of this, they believe that solace is their only course of action.
Except, true Spirit-filled writers cannot become who we are intended to be apart from identifying with the Lord’s church. Spiritual gifts are not given so that we find fulfillment in this life. They are given to build the body of Christ. It is true that those within the church have influence in every sphere of life–writers especially. We need people who bring light to the business world, the educational society, and the entertainment industry. But when I search my heart for my true motive, I always come back to one thing–I want to see the Lord’s bride become all she is intended to be. Why? Because when she knows who she is–the lost come to Jesus, righteousness begins to exalt nations, the devil is defeated, and the Kingdom advances.
So, what is it that motivates me to write? It’s really quite simple–obedience. That’s both simple and profound all at the same time because Jesus places a high value on obedience. He says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” John 14:15.
I have come to understand that for some, writing is a calling. And I believe Father is raising up writers that are committed to seeing a true Kingdom-minded Renaissance take place. If you are motivated this way, feel free to reach out to me. I ask this question quite often and I believe there to be a beautiful answer just waiting to be realized: What could God do with a company of writers committed to using their creative gifts to bring change to those in need and to advance the Kingdom for His glory?
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