Your lives are a letter written in our hearts, and everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. (2 Corinthians 3:2 NLT)
From the book ‘God is in the Small Stuff and it all matters. . . .’ Many people like to read, but few enjoy writing. That’s probably because most of our writing experiences have centered around undesirable projects, such as research papers in school. And unlike reading a book there’s no such thing as “skimming” your writing. There are no shortcuts.
Another reason why people are reluctant to write is that they’re afraid that someone else is going to read what they’ve written. When you get past writing for a grade in school, you develop a self-consciousness. Maybe you can’t get past the idea that someone’s going to “grade” you for spelling and grammar. Maybe your afraid someone will criticize—or worse—laugh at what you’ve written (especially when it’s not supposed to be funny).
So you rarely write and you miss out on one of the greatest forms of communication and self-expression. Here’s a fact. When you express yourself through writing you reveal more about yourself than you ever could by talking, even if you aren’t writing about yourself. Writing forces you to choose your words more carefully because it causes you to think more deeply.
We want to help you begin a personal writing career. Forget about becoming the next great American novelist or even getting anything published (although we’d be the last to discourage you). What we have in mind is personal writing—also known as journaling—that may never be read by another soul (okay, the pressure’s off).
Here’s an easy way to start a journal. Buy one of those blank books (all the bookstores carry them) and begin jotting down your feelings about stuff. Write down the feelings of your life and then tell yourself how they are affecting you. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Just write.
Write about the people in your life. Write how you feel about God. For inspiration in this area, read the Psalms, which contain some of the most personal and passionate writing in the Bible. If you take a little time a few times each week to jot down your thoughts, you will be amazed at the results. You will find that the small stuff in your life will feel more ordered, and the big stuff won’t feel so imposing.
In the Small stuff
- Write a thank you note to a teacher from you past.
- A handwritten note beats a typed one every time.
- Develop your vocabulary, but don’t overuse fancy words.
- Write an autobiography and update it annually.
- Develop your vocabulary to express yourself, not to impress others.
- Imitate your life insurance agent: Be systematic about sending birthday cards to people who are important to you.
- Everybody has a life story. Think about yours, write it down, and then look for an opportunity to relate it publicly.
- If you enjoy expressing yourself with words, try writing more and talking less.
- Get into the habit of writing thank you notes, even for little things or acts of kindness.
- When you write, use short sentences and descriptive words.
- After you’ve written something, go back and read it out loud. You’ll become a better writer.
- One of the best ways to develop a good writing style is to read good books.
~Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, God is in the Small Stuff and it all matters (Urichsville, OH: Promise Press 1973, 1978,1984), 143-45
