A Near Collision Sparks A Recommitment to Write

Yesterday I missed a head on collision by a couple of seconds. A car was driving in the wrong lane down a two-lane road. I was coming around a corner—not speeding—but still going 55 miles per hour. The car veered off to a road that was about a 130-degree angle from the passenger side of my car at just the right moment, instants before it would have hit me head on

Needless to say, if I would have been coming around that curve a couple moments later, I don’t think I’d be writing this blog post right now.

Wow, God! Thank you for sparing my life! I had absolutely nothing to do with that timing. I could not have slammed on the breaks fast enough to get out of the way.

When you have experiences like this, it makes you question everything.

Why did God spare me?

What else does He want me to do with my life?

In addition to seeking God for direction to make the most out of my time, treasuring those I love and asking for forgiveness from those who I have hurt, my next thought was about writing.

I have felt far more motivated than I did before this incident to get messages out of my head and into a format where others might benefit from what I have learned.

It made me wonder why I haven’t published more sooner. The answer is simple, but difficult to overcome—it’s fear. I am often paralyzed by the thought that my writing isn’t good enough. Good enough for what or for whom? The cyber typo Nazis?

Then, my mindset shifted. Who cares what “some” might think? My writing is good enough and important enough to publish.

Why?

Because all of us are unique. None of us processes information in exactly the same way. No one on the planet has ever been—or ever will be—created to have the exact same thoughts as I do. Isn’t that mind-boggling? And, because the way our minds synthesize information is unique, we have no idea who we will influence—or why our words will matter.

Someone who I may never meet may need to read these words tomorrow, but I may never know why they needed to read them.

No matter how simple the message is—if an idea is burning in your heart, there is a purpose for that thought.

So don’t let the fear of not being good enough or the uncertainty of where your words might land stop you from writing—those reasons have stopped me way too often.

I’m learning that I need to check my inhibitions at the door—or they may prevent me from fully fulfilling my God-given purpose before He takes me home.

I still don’t know why that car was driving on the wrong side of the road, but I do know that it lit a fire in my innermost parts to use every moment for purposes beyond myself—even when I don’t understand them.

And, as I’ve said before, words outlast us—especially when they are from the heart—so let’s get ours out.

If you want help to get your message out of your gut and onto the page, but you don’t know where to start, please contact me. I’d love to help.