Years ago, I started writing because random thoughts would hit my brain and I’d want to flesh them out. Then I’d want to share them. There isn’t always a lot of consistency to those thoughts. Sometimes they are triggered by my morning Bible reading. Other times relational interaction give me pause.
There are responses to events around me, random mental pictures that I want to flesh out, new habits and practices that work for me that I want to share, and just general thoughts or ideas that come to mind.
Sometimes these ideas flow faster than I can process them. Other times it can be a disturbingly long time between ideas. But that’s another discussion for another day. (Yes, I have notes on it already!)
For today, though, the thought is this: should I really write about everything that comes to mind?
You probably already know the answer to that. It’s a resounding NO for a wide variety of reasons. But I’m not always incredibly wise about how I invest my writing time. So, I need to set myself some guidelines and boundaries to help me process what to say. And that’s what I have to say today…a glimpse into those guidelines!
Does it stick?
The best ideas are those that have staying power. The ones that I can set aside and then come back to and still know how to flesh out — and maybe even have the ability to flesh them out better than when I first had the ideas.
Now, this doesn’t mean it just floats around in my head. I’ve lost a lot of great, “sticky” ideas by not writing them down! But, if I can jot down a few notes (a brief theme or title followed by 3-5 sentences or bullet points to serve as reminders) then come back a few days, weeks, or even months later and flesh it out, it’s definitely an idea that has stuck. That makes it worth considering.
Does it grow?
Mental images of The Blob aside, good ideas really need to grow and evolve. What starts as a brain tickle needs to develop substance if it’s going to be useful for myself or anyone else.
Even a “sticky” idea can prove to have little more substance than those brief notes I jotted down. While the lack of growth doesn’t mean it never needs to be shared, it’s really not worth it to take those few bullet points and just add fluff without substance. There’s enough of that floating around. I don’t need to add to it. There are other avenues for sharing those thoughts. After all, if we would all share a few more brief, positive thoughts on social media, it might be a more encouraging place to hang out!
Does it relate?
This is a big one. I have written a lot of things that have never seen the light of day. They stay on my computer or in my journal. Why? Because they aren’t relevant to anyone other than me. That’s not to say that there aren’t other people processing the same things. But, there are certain things we shouldn’t throw out into the wild. If we share them, they should be shared privately with individuals for the purpose of encouraging and strengthening one another.
While nothing I write is relevant to everyone, it’s important to have wisdom to know when what I write is not really relevant for public sharing at all.
Does it honor Christ?
Not everything I write is a Bible thought. It doesn’t always have a spiritual theme or express ideas of faith.
And yet…
I am a Christian. That means I am a citizen of the kingdom of God. My number one priority in life should be allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. Period. Even if I am writing a random tip about life, it should never, ever contradict that allegiance. My writing can’t be neutral. It is either nourishing others in their lives of allegiance — or sparking the interest of those outside the kingdom — or it is an act of rebellion. Treason. There is no middle ground.
That can sound harsh, but when you swear allegiance to something, it’s an all or nothing reality. You are either for or against. No one is ever truly neutral.
So, the things I write should reflect that I am growing in the fruit of the Spirit, even if I struggle in that growth, and that I hunger to serve my Lord.
Am I always diligent to answer all of these questions before I write or publish something? No, I’m not. But when I look back on what I’ve written over the years, the things that fit all of these are the ones that still hold true (and that I still like even after all this time). I hope that in the coming years I will become increasingly faithful to hold to these guidelines, confident in the words that are pouring forth from my fingers.
Not Quite Ordinary 