Though I’ve been at the keyboard all day, I *have* to share the story of the day before my writing deadline.
From the time I walked into my office this morning to put the finishing touches on a devotional that is due tomorrow, the thought wouldn’t let go of me that something wasn’t right with what I’d written. Not exactly the feeling you want the day before it’s due. I suddenly could see myself as Snoopy starting over with:
” It was a dark and stormy night…”
I did what any writer would do at this point – I pulled out tissue after tissue as I cried big ole tears.
When I went to bed last night, I felt good that all my content boxes were checked and I just needed to polish it before sending it to my editor.
At 11am, not to be dramatic in any way, I took my extended arms and in one fell swoop, swept every note, outline, and scrap piece of paper on my desk onto the floor.
I mean, it was the day before the deadline.
I couldn’t shake the sense that the LORD was leading me to take a new direction and go with a totally different verse and concept than I had already been writing about.
“LORD, do You know it’s the day before the devotional is due?
I asked Him again as I re-read the chapter I’d been assigned. I grabbed a pink crayon to use as a highlighter from the cute little 2002 Victoria made mug that holds all my special writing instruments.
It was the day before the deadline.
After I read the chapter again, I went to get a Q-tip to clean out my ears thinking that maybe I was hearing wrong. And wouldn’t you know, the dang Q-tip *just happened* to match the crayon.
I went to grab another tissue box because, oh dear, it was the day before the deadline. While I was up, I gathered all my favorite roller bottles of essential oils to add to those on my desk because this called for some emotional support.
The Salesman walked in and started to pick up the papers in my normally magazine worthy office, all the while my lids are swollen and my lashes are stuck together in triangular clumps and he asks what I’m doing…
“Well, I’ve had a holy unction that was confirmed with a pink crayon and a matching Q-tip to start this little writing project over – the day before it is due…”
He said, “Are you doing this for Beth Moore?”
He remembers she was the first friend that seriously encouraged my writing gift by asking me to write a devotional for her blog. I hurriedly explained about Proverbs 31 and forgot to tell him that I’d messaged Beth on Monday to pray for me as I wrote.
I know many of my friends were praying for me today.
He left the room and I minimized the screen that held all the words I’d already written, and I turned on a song, “I don’t want to miss one word” and I sang along. I don’t know how many times I pressed repeat on the song; but what I do know is the moment that peace was ushered in to my little un-air conditioned office and I set my worship flags down along with my previous agenda.
I walked to my desk now cleared of everything but the laptop, my 2001 NASB Bible, my diffuser and more essential oils than most people would use in a week, and as I pulled out my chair to sit down, I said to the LORD,
“The deadline is tomorrow” like a petulant school child not happy to be beginning again.
And as clear as if He had a megaphone, I heard in my spirit:
“Lora, you can do more in one hour
with My holy anointing power.”
And that is where I closed my complaining lips, took off my glasses and just let the spirit of GOD flow through fingers that moved faster with a holy unction than in my previous days of work on this project.
Knowing HE who is faithful, I had it completed and sent to my editor and had revisions back by 7:18pm
on the day before the deadline.
