The words tumbled around in my head as I tried to go to sleep.<\/p>\n
Earlier, I had been\u00a0grumbling to God\u00a0about other writers.\u00a0 Writers whose words seem to be not only meaningful, but also poetic in nature.\u00a0 Writers whose words seem to give eloquent expressions\u00a0to feelings in my heart.\u00a0 Writers whose words seem to touch others in powerful ways.\u00a0 Writers whose words seem better.<\/p>\n
How come I can’t write like them? That’s when I heard it.\u00a0\u00a0Keep your eyes on your own paper<\/em>.\u00a0 My questioning stopped as I\u00a0felt the weight of the statement.<\/p>\n My job is not to compare my gifts to others; it\u00a0only leads to dissatisfaction and envy.\u00a0 My focus should be on the gifts God has given me and how He leads me to use them; I don’t need to concern myself with how He’s leading While in my bed that night, the command seemed so logical, so sound, so easy.\u00a0 I just need to\u00a0be grateful for the gifts\u00a0I’ve been given and listen for God’s direction.<\/p>\n But then came morning.\u00a0 In the light of day, in the midst of life, it didn’t come so easily.\u00a0 Gratitude was hard in the presence of other’s accomplishments and God’s voice\u00a0seemed to be quickly\u00a0overpowered by the voices and sounds of the world.<\/p>\n Keep your eyes on your own paper.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n God reminds me again.\u00a0 And again.\u00a0 And again.\u00a0 I’m so easily distracted.<\/p>\n But I’m learning.\u00a0 I’m learning to thank Him daily for what He’s given me.\u00a0 I’m learning to thank Him for where He’s leading me.\u00a0 I’m learning to thank Him for the gifts of others and the blessing they are to me and the world.\u00a0\u00a0I’m learning to trust God’s plan for me and not compare it to His plan for someone else.\u00a0 I’m learning to keep my eyes on my own paper…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Keep your eyes on your own paper. The words tumbled around in my head as I tried to go to sleep. Earlier, I had been\u00a0grumbling to God\u00a0about other writers.\u00a0 Writers whose words seem to be not only meaningful, but … Continue reading
\n<\/strong><\/em>Why can’t I be as gifted as them?
\nWhy are my sentences so short and stubby?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.karen-gustafson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pen.jpg\")
<\/a>others to use their gifts. \u00a0I only need to keep my eyes focused on my own paper.<\/p>\n