Ever since publishing my book, “The Price of Blood,” I’ve been thinking about the 6 years that I spent writing it, and about the things I learned along the way. It’s been quite a journey, but God has used it to teach me many things.
While I learned these lessons in the context of books and writing, they can certainly be applied to any career, as well as life in general. So even if you’re not a writer, keep reading if you want to see just a few of the things I’ve learned in the past 6 years.
A comprehensive list would probably be very extensive, so I’ve narrowed it down to 10 life lessons. I’ll be sharing 5 of those today, and 5 of them in my next blog post. I hope these lessons will be an encouragement and a challenge to you, both in your career and in your walk with Christ.
- Find your purpose
This honestly goes much further back than this particular book, but I needed to be reminded of it many times while writing “The Price of Blood.”
God created all of us with gifts and desires that we should be using for Him. When you find your purpose and fulfill it, there is no greater satisfaction.
Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to change the world. I’ve also always loved writing. So when I made the decision to use my writing to change the world for God’s glory, it was life-altering. It gave me so much more purpose… not just in my writing, but in my life.
I would encourage you to find your purpose. What does God want you to do with the gifts He’s given you? Use your talents to fulfill the ultimate purpose you were created for… to glorify God. And when you do, you will find great contentment.
I recently posted a YouTube video that talks about changing the world and how we can use our words to make an impact, so make sure to go check that out here.
- See the need
I’ve talked about this before, especially in one of my recent blog posts, which you can read here. But one of the best ways to find your purpose and to make an impact is to see a need and meet it.
For me, that need was good quality Christian fiction. I had heard many people complain about the lack of it—and I had often noticed it myself—but it wasn’t enough for me to just feel bad about it. I wanted to do something about it.
Often as I wrote “The Price of Blood,” I had to remind myself of the need that I wanted to meet. I prayed and asked God to show me what He wanted me to write about… the story He wanted me to tell.
Become someone who meets needs instead of creating them. When you see something that needs to be done, or a hole that needs to be filled, maybe God brought it to your attention so you could fill it. In a world full of takers, be a giver.
- Don’t be ashamed of the gospel
I’ve often seen authors who claim to be Christian who shy away from including the gospel in their writing. If they do mention God, it’s very vague and general, so as not to offend people.
I understand wanting to appeal to readers. Of course, as an author, you want to sell books. But never let your success be at the expense of proclaiming your faith.
Yes, we want to be careful to accurately represent Christ. Yes, a fictional book does not have to sound like a sermon. But literature always portrays some kind of message—some kind of truth. And as children of God, if we are not spreading the gospel message, what message are we spreading? What better news could there be than the good news?
This is something that I had to constantly come back to while writing “The Price of Blood.” At times, I would become too focused on making the plot exciting or developing the characters, and I would let the true message of the story become clouded.
But whenever that happened, I found that the book would suddenly begin to sound so empty and dry. Like there was no meaning or life to it. I had to remind myself of why I was writing the book—of the truth that God wanted me to share with the world.
You can write faith-filled fiction that is exciting and captivating. You don’t have to sacrifice quality for truth, nor do you have to sacrifice your beliefs for entertainment.
I talk more about writing Christian fiction in this post here, so make sure to check it out.
- You’re not always ready when you think you are
When I first started writing “The Price of Blood,” I thought it was the best thing ever. In my eyes, the characters were amazing, the plot was intriguing, and it was going to be a breeze to write.
Or so I thought.
As anyone who’s ever been a young teen knows, you sometimes get a little bit overconfident in your abilities. And I sure thought that when I finished the draft of my book, I could publish it and become a bestselling author—all before the age of fourteen!
Of course, it didn’t quite work out that way. When I reread the draft, I realized that I might need to make a few changes before publishing it. It turns out, I had to rewrite the book a few times before it turned into something readable.
All of this is to say that in any kind of endeavor—or just in life in general—keep a humble attitude. Be looking for things you can do to improve… I guarantee you’ll find something. Refusing to admit that you need to grow will keep you from growing at all.
And if you think you’re ready for something that God hasn’t given you yet, you probably aren’t. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a long time. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.
None of us are perfect (and we won’t be until we reach Heaven), so keep pressing towards that mark. God promised that He would help us grow to be more like Him. We have to ask Him to show us the areas in our life that we need to work on, and to give us the power to improve.
- Don’t put off your problems
This very much goes along with the previous point. In wanting to be ready to publish before I was actually ready, I ignored many plot holes and problems in “The Price of Blood.” These were things that I had to come to back to and rework multiple times before I could fix them.
Would it have been easier if I’d recognized the problems the first time? Absolutely. Would I have published the book sooner than I did? Probably.
I wonder how many things in my life I’ve put off doing that have kept me from growing or from doing something that God wanted me to do.
That little lazy habit could be part of a much bigger problem. That tendency to give in to my flesh might come back to bite me. Not watching my tongue could eventually lead me to say something hurtful or sinful. Being impatient may keep me from seeing the task that God has for me now.
Ask God to show you your problems. Read His Word and meditate on how it will apply to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to convict you of your sin.
If you ignore the issues that God wants you to deal with, it can keep you from the plans He has for you in the future. It can get in the way of your relationship with Him, as well as your relationship with other people.
So if you feel like something just isn’t “working” in your Christian life—much like how I felt like something wasn’t “working” in my book—you might need to take a step back. Maybe there’s a plot hole that needs to be filled before you can move on in your growth.
Stay tuned for my next blog post in a few weeks, where I’ll be sharing 5 more life lessons that writing “The Price of Blood” has taught me. You can buy my book on Amazon or through the link here, and be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed reading it!
Comment below a life lesson that your career has taught you!