Pulling back & leaning in.
Friends, it has been a while.
Maybe I should apologize for not writing or sharing a Substack post in months. I cannot say I’m sorry, though, because it’s been a sweet season of pulling back and leaning in.
As a writer of Christian inspiration and encouragement, it’s easy to fall into the habit of always looking for an idea or lesson to share with readers. If you came to my home, you’d find spiral notebooks, notepads, and post-it notes in several locations, all containing my writing ideas scribbled down.
When one of those ideas meshes with God-given inspiration, it can make for an article worth sharing. Unfortunately, this habit of always looking for the next great idea becomes an issue when your personal devotion and Bible study time is consumed with the looking. That is where I found myself over a year ago.
Funny thing, I know I’m not alone in this. I recently received an email from another Christian writer here on Substack, detailing how she found herself in a similar situation. Maybe there’s something in the water. Could be it’s the times we are living in. I believe it has something to do with the pressure we feel to measure up to this online life, in the middle of trying to keep up with our real life.
So, what did I do?
I took some time away from writing and all that goes with it. If you’ve been following me since the days of my WordPress blog, you know this is not the first time I’ve taken a break from writing. I know from experience that pulling back can sometimes be a good thing.
My thought was, “I’ll take a few weeks, or a couple of months off.” But when that time came to an end, I felt a strong sense to wait. Those months of pulling back from the pressure to create something, and leaning in to the Lord was such a sweet time.
Early mornings with a cup of coffee and my study Bible felt new and fresh. In pulling back, I simplified my devotion and study time. I have this knack for accumulating great resources and tools. Y’all know I love a good Bible study tool.
When this year started, I stripped it all down to three things: my Bible, a favorite prayer book, and one teaching book. The current teaching book I’m reading has 50 short lessons (Truths to take on the world)1. It’s designed to do one lesson a week, but I’ve been taking more time than is necessary. Pulling back and leaning in takes time, friend.
Am I coming back to writing?
Yes, that is the plan. I’ve been dusting things off and sprucing up around here. Going forward, I feel God wants something a little different from me. Essays in more of a devotional format, probably 500 words or less (someone said hallelujah). If this sounds like something you’d enjoy reading, please stick around.
—Karlene
Coming soon: The Devotional Sessions…
The Gospel Way Catechism: 50 Truths that take on the world. by Trevin Wax and Thomas West.