This week I signed two contracts with Harvest House. The first is for a women’s devotional, and the second is for a little book for parents with kids ages 3-8. Did you hear my wahoooo from Canada?
Six years have passed since I signed my last contract with a traditional publisher, and it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve wrestled with disappointment and discouragement in the gap. I’ve questioned my call to write there. And I’ve seen God meet me in this place, using unmistakable ways to encourage me to persevere.
I’ll always remember the stranger who phoned and said, “Please don’t think I’m a whacko or a groupie. This is the first time I’ve phoned an author. I just want to tell you that I read your book, Moving from Fear to Freedom and it changed my life. Today I feel compelled to tell you, ‘Please keep writing.’”
Tears spilled. “I know why you feel compelled to deliver that message,” I said. “For several months I’ve doubted the worth of my writing efforts and wondered whether God was changing my direction. Six hours ago, I asked Him to send confirmation today if He wanted me to continue. Your call is that confirmation.’”
The woman listened quietly, and then she cried. “I heard His voice correctly!” she said. The experience bolstered her faith, and it cemented my passion and calling.
Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar gap. If so, consider this place—painful as it is—as precious. Here are a few suggestions to implement as you linger there:
- Make quiet time with God your priority. Read the Word daily, and journal what He says.
- Practice praise, and become an expert at giving thanks no matter what.
- Rejoice with writers who avoid the gap.
- Keep writing unless God makes it clear you’re to stop. Attend writers’ conferences. Maintain contacts within the industry. Continue to hone your skill.
- Be patient. Be diligent. Be faithful. Rest assured that God is sovereign over your circumstances. When His time is right, He’ll move you from the gap.
My time in the six-year gap has given me a new personal favorite Scripture—“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted ” (Job 42:2). Meditating on it brings peace. Pondering it daily brings confidence. God knows what He’s doing. He knows what He wants to accomplish in us and through us. Let’s let Him do His job, even if it means waiting in the gap.
