What are you hiding behind?

I’m trying not to kill a lovely African violet my husband gifted me with for Valentine’s Day. I have the self-watering pot, the proper food, and the liquid that must be mixed with a specific amount of water and administered monthly. And thus far, the violets are alive.

Mostly.

There are a few blooms looking droopy after yesterday’s addition of new water. And there were a few leaves that didn’t survive the repotting. Then there’s the need for more light, something that’s lacking in the spot where they’re currently placed. But overall, the leaves are green and the blooms are vivid purple. And the ones that aren’t are turned to the back to preserve the image of a perfectly thriving African violet.

I do that. I turn things around so they look good. Not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, turning a nasty situation into one with some hope is a talent we all should develop. It saves on the blood pressure medicine and generally keeps more wrinkles from forming. Okay, so I made that up, but seeing hope where none appears to be present is a skill that unfortunately develops through practice.

Not the kind of homework anyone wants.

So we hide. Behind excuses that nothing is wrong or behind a fake smile that shows all our pretty and none of the ugly festering underneath. Shedding light on shadows is the only way to make the darkness flee. There’s a great line in Miranda Lambert’s new song “Mama’s Broken Heart” that says “Run and hide your crazy and start acting like a lady ’cause I raised you better. Gotta keep it together even when you fall apart.”

Or do we? What’s going on in your life that needs a little more light on it? What are you hiding behind?

“Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.  -Jeremiah 23:24

We historical authors are an interesting breed. Those of us who have answered the call can attest to the fact that there are no shortcuts in penning novels set in past eras. As with any other type of writing, plotting, planning, and research take time.

If you’re a fulltime writer who has no trouble fitting your writing schedule into your day, you can stop reading right here. Nothing I’m about to say will be of any interest to you unless you happen to be researching or plotting a book with a character that struggles with trying to follow divergent paths simultaneously.

Or, as they say down South where I come from, if you don’t find juggling work, family, (fill in with your item or items of issue here) and writing, then you won’t understand that sometimes trying to do it all like herding cats.

How does a person with limited time and brain cells manage?

And yet, plenty a book, historical or otherwise, has been written by folks who commute, punch a clock, or are otherwise chained to a desk or stuck behind a steering wheel. Most of The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper and all of Anna Finch and the Hired Gun was written while I held down a day job as a paralegal in a law firm in Houston. My newest release, Flora’s Wish, book 1 of the Secret Lives of Will Tucker series was also written while working full time as an oil and gas paralegal.

Assuming your research and plotting are at least mostly done, and you’re ready to write, there are many ways to fit time into your workday. I am not suggesting that you should take away from the hours that are given over to honest employment. Rather, I propose there are lost moments in each day that can be captured and used for writing.

If you commute, consider taking the bus. An average commute in my former hometown of Houston is almost an hour. In a round trip bus ride, imagine how much work could be accomplished with two hours of writing. Most employers offer fifteen minute breaks twice a day. Again, imagine what can be done in fifteen minutes. While this may not seem like much time, it does add up. Taking the thirty minutes you would normally spend in daily breaks to write would add up to an extra 2.5 hours per week of writing time. Add the time available during daily one-hour lunches and you’ve upped your writing time by another five hours. Getting up an hour early and working on your manuscript either at home or at the office adds another five hours per week to the mix. Total “found” hours in your work week: 12.5!

So now the question is, what will you do with all that free time? Oh, of course! More research for the next book!

And speaking of the next book, I’m working on edits for Millie’s Treasure now! A writer’s work is never done–and for that I am extremely thankful.

Meet Baxter.

Baxter has very little stress beyond whether his water bowl stays full, his food bowl is consistently replenished, and his trips outside are not withheld. In short–which he is–Baxter is a low maintenance guy, er dog.

Unfortunately, this fellow has one rather annoying habit. He likes to walk a half-step ahead of me while looking back to be sure I am following. Not the best way to make progress of any kind. In fact, life would be much less complicated if Baxter would just let me do the leading while he does the following.

I said this recently. Aloud. Yes, to a Schnauzer. And as the words left my mouth, I was struck with the thought that maybe I am guilty of the same thing.

How many times have I gotten ahead of God only to realize He wasn’t having any of it? How many more times did I think I knew exactly where God was going–or what He was going to do–only to realize I was nowhere near close in my guess? Just as Baxter sometimes barks when there’s nothing there, I too, let nothing (in the form of fear, worry, angst, or just plain imagination) grab my attention and hold it.

For all his foibles, Baxter has another side to him, a loyal and faithful side that I adore. Where I am, Baxter wants to be. My return from a brief trip away sends him into a crazy dance of joy that requires several rooms of the house to adequately perform. My presence is his source of joy and comfort.

So, the thought struck me: what if I were to look at my relationship with God like that? What if I found contentment and joy merely in resting in his presence? What if I followed Him rather than leading? What if…

I learned something years ago about this journey called the Christian life. The more I learn about the Lord, the more I realize how much I do not know and how very far away from any sort of perfection I am. That knowledge is sobering. Humbling.

As 2012 closes and 2013 begins, many are dusting off their resolution lists and coming up with their word-of-the-year or making their promises of improvements to themselves and others. I think this just might be the year to follow a different course, a simple plan of finding rest and reverence. And for that, I can thank my Schnauzer.

I wish you could all meet Baxter.

Be it in conversation, in writing, or even in the thoughts you allow, words matter. What kind of words are you comfortable with? What makes you uncomfortable, in yourself…in others?

Are you thinking, speaking, offering words that uplift or are you shooting ugly darts at moving targets?

Long after a word is spoken, be it kind or cutting, the effect lingers. The legacy continues. Children watch, listen, or read, and they repeat.

Like casks of wine stacked in the vineyard, your words build one upon the other. But are their contents sweet or bitter?

Words matter.

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24

…for flowers that bloom long after the others have given up to hide under the leaves until spring;

…for family and friends who I never see enough and yet still feel close;

…for words that flow and for the gift of patience when they do not–even though patience rarely feels like a gift; and

…for the love of a good man and a great God.

Bloom where you are planted. Be the last one to give up. Those are lessons worth learning.

But above all else, be thankful…

No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18