When a person does not get nourishment, either through a
lack of food or deliberate fasting, they eventually reach a point where they no
longer feel hungry. The body turns on itself, devouring fat storage and
anything else that can support the major systems. If food becomes available or
is re-introduced, it must be done gradually with the help of medical personnel
until a normal diet can be resumed.
Hunger for relationship with God is much the same. If we
deny ourselves regular meals of His Word and fellowship with other believers,
our desire will wane, and we become weak and feed on whatever strength we've
developed. What once gave us great joy and peace will no longer hold appeal.
As writers, we can starve our creativity by not using the
gift within us. For believers, losing our spiritual hunger will severely impact
our ability to produce life-giving words. How do we avoid such dire
circumstances? Here are some things to help us:
1. We need daily
meals to stay healthy physically. It's no different spiritually. The purpose of
regularly gathering as the church is to both give and receive the particular
ministry gifts of each person. The Word says, "As newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby."
2. Staying connected
to the Vine (Jesus - see John 15) enhances and brings about greater
understanding of the Word and the situations around us. Many of the scenes in
my books have come through inspiration after prayer and Bible study. At times,
I've gone to bed praying about a writing problem. Often I've dreamed the answer
or had all the pieces fall into place upon waking.
3. There are times in
the writers life when it seems the creativity disappeared. Write anyway. Pray
anyway. Read/study the Word anyway. Put something on paper. Prime that pump.
Like one physically deprived of food, the comeback is often
gradual. Momentum takes time to build. The cobwebs in our hearts and brain
tangle our words into incoherent sentences. Little by little, clarity will return.
I'm taking my own advice. Soaking in the atmosphere of
praise and worship, taking in the Word of God both in my private times with the
Lord and with the Church are all restoring what became dormant.
Writers: Do you go
through times where you have no desire to write? How do you stir up the gift
within you?
Readers: Do you
ever experience "reader
fatigue?" What triggers it, and how do you recover?
Photo Credit: Robson Oliveira