Me two years ago sending in my first signed book contract
I was going through some old posts of mine, and as I read them I thought, “These are pretty good.”
Now before you think I’m being arrogant or some such thing, let me tell you that I struggle deeply with feeling like a fraud as a writer.
I fight and squirm when I have to write, and I’ve all but convinced myself that I have no business writing. So when I tell you that I said to myself that I actually like some of the things I’ve written, it’s kind of a big deal to me. It tells me, maybe I can write, maybe it doesn’t matter what I think so much as that I get out of my own way, keep my eyes on purposes of the kingdom, and just keep on writing. Ain’t nobody got time to be neurotic. It’s a self-disease, this constant critiquing of self.
And it just distracts us from the glory work at hand.
If you’ve got business to do, and God has put you in a place to do it, get out of your own way and get on with it.
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Hebrews 12:1
Throw off the constant self-critique and RUN! David’s prayer in the Psalms isn’t that he would search his own heart, but that God would search it and show him the way. I think we’ve been doing too much self-searching and we need to let God do the searching and the revealing and the healing.
How can we run if we keep looking this way and that, and checking our feet and wondering how we look as we run? Let’s get all Eric Liddell with ourselves and just move, even if we look crazy in the process (apparently he looked all crazy when he ran, arms flailing). I’m okay with crazy, as long as I’m thoughtful and focused on the goal. Which reminds me, what is your goal?
My goal, my finish line, it’s not to get to the end of my life and go, “Whew, done! Did well!” It’s to run right into eternity into the arms of my savior, and I can only do that if my eyes keep directed at Him.
What direction are you going?
Friends, let’s stop tripping over our own feet, our own inadequacies and quirks and not quite awesome grammar, and let’s just run with whatever God has put inside us! Whatever it is! Writing, baking, mothering, clerking…whatever! Run, girl! Feel the wind, the Spirit in you as you move to His rhythm. Keep on.
He’ll do the work in you, just keep on.
Love, Sarah Mae, SarahMae.com
Leave a Comment
Bev Duncan @ Walking Well With God says
Sarah Mae,
This was a pep talk, a Kingdom talk, that I so needed this morning! I love how you say that we need to get out of our own way and keep our eyes on the purposes of the kingdom. Instead of analyzing why one of my posts was better received than another, I need to continue to write with abandon to an audience of One. Harsh self critique renders us powerless to advance the Kingdom. Thank you again!
Blessings,
Bev
Sarah Mae says
I just the enemy wants to trip us up and keep us focused on our weaknesses (perceived or real). Let’s just stop that and focus on the Kingdom work at hand!
Jamie says
I am so blessed by this post this morning – thank you!
Sarah Mae says
I’m so glad!
betsydecruz says
Thanks for this encouragement to silence the voice of our inner editor and to get on with things. We can get so caught up in evaluating and criticizing ourselves that we become paralyzed.
Better to keep running with our eyes fixed on our Savior, as you say.
zaneta says
Thank you for being a vessal of conviction and encouragement to me this morning. I am my worst critic which oten leads me to procrastinating or doing nothing…all I can do is ask for forgiveness and keep running. Be blessed!
Sarah Mae says
Yep, when you mess up, fall down, brush it off and keep on.
Kathy says
Thanks…such a nice post this morning…love having these simple yet great reminders. 😉
Kimberly says
Keep on keepin’ on, friend!
Charlotte Hammer says
Yup. Exactly the kick in the pants I needed…and have been asking God for.
Krista says
Needed this encouragement today. Don’t mind me, I’ll be the one running, arms flailing all the way! 🙂
Sarah Mae says
Arms flailing here as well, friend!
Mom 2 JADE says
Ahh, are you in my head? Thank you for helping me to stop navel gazing and focus on His purposes and calling.
Sarah Mae says
I am in your head. It’s a gift. 😉
Amy Lanham says
I just finished writing my own post when I read this. I was writing on prayer and I kept wanting to give up, because really, I don’t even know what I’m talking about. Thanks for the reminder to get out of the way of my doubts.
Bobbie says
Wish you were sitting here with me having coffee and we could talk more about this. We all need this kind of push, support and encouragement. Our inner critic can be awfully convincing. your words so resonated with me, especially about reading some of your posts, etc and thinking ‘that’s pretty good.’ I believe that’s God giving a little nudge, telling us we are, encouraging us to use our gifts for His Glory.
Thank you and God bless.
Sarah Mae says
I would love to have coffee with you.
And I like your perspective of God giving us a little nudge, allowing us to see our work with fresh eyes, so to speak.
Dale carroll-coleman says
Beautiful ! I can totally relate to the fraud! Lies, lies, lies…. When Truth is shining down on us. ☺
Laurie says
Simply Awesome!! Thank you!
Janet Wilson says
This encouragement is just what I needed! Thank you!!
Lynn Morrissey says
Seems to me like you’re sprinting! Go for it, Sarah Mae! What a wonderful, godly pep talk! I’m donning my Nikes!
Blessings,
Lynn
Lisa Buffaloe says
Great post! I needed this timely reminder. God’s blessings to you as we run the race!
Donna says
Thank you.
Mary Gabel says
So needed this! Thanks and thank you Lord for encouragement;-)
Peggy says
finding the true call and then giving it everything you’ve got. Keep on keepin’ on!
Jennifer Ebenhack says
Hi Sarah Mae!
So thankful for these words! I’m getting ready to send my proposal to my agent, feeling oh-so-inadequate! And fraudulent. 🙂 Thanks for speaking your heart and speaking truth.
Sarah Mae says
I am so glad you read this today…sending in a proposal can be so nerve-wracking! Keep your eyes on Him, friend!
Jen in MN says
Really, really needed to hear this today. Thanks for listening to the Spirit’s prompting on this one. xoxo
Elizabeth says
Clearly this is resonating with many of us! Thank you for writing it.
Janel says
As someone who started blogging in 2007, had life crash and has be unable to continue for the last several years, it’s really tough to start over – especially after false starts and more waves of life crashing. Then to watch and see the success of blogging friends started the same time I did and who have kept going while I was laid up, yup I’m a bit intimated. But you’re right. I have a message and need to speak it. I need to get out of my own way.
Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to hear today. {hugs}
Sarah Mae says
Random, but I checked out your blog and you seem like such fun! You made me smile, especially when you wrote, “my butt on photoshop”. 🙂
Janel says
Thanks Sarah. Not everyone had the privilege of getting up close and personal with Photoshop. 😉
karyn says
Yup, I believe so. I don’t proof read my stuff cos it’s coming out of my mind so fast, I can hardly catch the thoughts. Holy Spirit thoughts. I totally agree with you. We are not called to be perfect as such. Though we are called to be perfect. Just called to run run run in a manner worthy of HIS calling in our lives. No matter what. JESUS LOVES us. Awesome thought right.
🙂
anne says
DITTO. ME TOO
susan says
Beautiful words spoken……so what if we just get out of our own way, maybe we can see his shadow walking closely behind us. Thk U
Marcy says
I hear you! Sadly, the line between self editing and self deprecation has gotten so thin. Add to that the awkwardness of receiving complements and praise from strangers! Stepping out is a vulnerable thing, a leap of faith. Thank you for reminder that we are a hindrance, perhaps the greatest, in this race, and that running hard in all our dorky splendor, is a beautiful sight.
Kristy says
Just what I needed to hear today. I’m so guilty of self criticizing but I know God has great plans for me and my family. I need to focus on setting myself aside daily, and keeping Him in the center… All day every day. So thanks for your encouragement!
Debi Schuhow says
I want to run right into the arms of my Savior too! Talk about a time jump!
Valerie says
Thank you so much for this encouragement to ignore my inner voice critiquing my every word and getting in the way of where I need to move. I love the reminder to let God search my heart and abandon the self-searching! Your words are beautifully written!
Valerie
Caryn Christensen says
Oh my, THIS is exactly what I needed to hear today. I can relate so closely to what you’re saying about re-reading old posts. I do the same thing and have thought exactly what you thought…”Gee, these are pretty good.” So why do I have so much trouble believing that I’m called to minister through words on a regular basis? I really appreciate your timely reminder to throw off the self-critiquing and run the race that God has set before me!
Trudy says
Thanks so much for this encouragement, Sarah Mae. Sometimes it’s so hard to get out of my default mode of self-criticism. I love how you say to let God do the searching and the revealing and the healing and to run with whatever He has put inside of us instead of tripping over our own inadequacies.
Sarah Schulz says
I think we’ve been doing too much self-searching and we need to let God do the searching and the revealing and the healing.
That is awesome and amazing and I love it and I badly needed to hear it this week. My life has been altogether too full of self-searching, and I’m just beginning to learn to get out of my own way and let God do the needed searching instead.
Thank you!
Lisa says
Thank you so much for this. I have been doing way too much inward gazing instead of keeping my eyes on the One who enables me to do what I am called to do.
Patty Muich says
Trying to learn to just do it. Don’t strive for perfection because you cannot achieve it. Only God can. And if someone does not like my simple method of writing? I pray that they can find someone that ‘speaks’ to them. As we need to be spoken to.
You have encouraged me so often and I really enjoy your posts. Keep on keeping on as we would miss you so very much if it went away.
Love you,
Patty
Wendy says
I love love love this! These are wise words to live by. Thanks for sharing.
Wendy 🙂
hippie4ever says
Love it, Sarah Mae!
Charlotte says
Our God is an AWESOME GOD!! I needed to here your message, I love God and I want to do the work I was created to do, my purpose as God created me to be! Thank you!
Laura says
Thank you so very much, I attended She Speaks this year, and got up the courage to start a blog as the next step in my writing. I know it is what God is calling me to do, but I surely do question myself every post on this baby blog. I am doing the Nehemiah study by Kelly Minter and your words have reinforced the teachings of the last two weeks. I need to just keep doing what God tells me to do and not worry about “me”! God bless you as you most surely are being used of God in your writing <3
Taylor Arthur says
Thank you so much! What an inspiration. I am struggling to honestly write my own blog and am often tripped up. Pride is so much of a stumbling block!
Love in Christ, Taylor Arthur
Joanne Peterson says
Thank you Sarah-Mae. This is so true. We really can’t be certain of the impact our words and our actions will have on someone else unless they give us feedback. Recently, a dear friend was having a very hard time and the Lord had been prompting her to call me all that day. When I called her back, and listened, I felt totally inadequate and didn’t know what to say. My two boys were also acting up in a big way because I was on the phone. I was distracted by my boys and what they were doing. I remember talking, but felt like my words could not have been doing a thing and my prayers were ineffective. But, I somehow felt like I was being led by the Holy Spirit. When I talked to her the next day, she thanked me and told me she was so grateful that I knew exactly what to say and what to pray. I laughed and told her that I felt anything but that and described really how I was feeling. This made me realize that the Lord is bigger than my distractions, my inadequacies, my circumstances, and even my own words, and just thanked the Lord for filling in where I had major gaps. If I am willing to be led by the Holy Spirit, and willing to trust Him, He will use my efforts and even my distractions to speak to someone else who needs what the Lord and I am able to give even when it seems pitiful by my standards.
Blessings,
Joanne
lisa says
I have “happened upon” this 3 times in past two days. Each time, a strong message. Prayers appreciated as I heed your words.
♡
Melody says
timely words! “If you’ve got business to do, and God has put you in a place to do it, get out of your own way and get on with it.”
Stumbling on a a little business with crafting…a vision for something larger than I ever thought of for others. Just wanting to keep in step with God on this new venture and risk. Embraced ‘hard’ for so many years that this ‘good’ is new territory for me. Pregnant with other desires such as … writing…all in due season. 🙂
Thanks Sara for keeping on writing & teaching. God bless your day.
Amy smith says
So needed to hear this. I am on the verge of great things with my artwork. I need to punch fear in he face me move forward. Thank you!
Maxine Gonzalez says
Have always loved all you write. But yes, I do believe we need to get out of the way, let the words flow and let GOD bless them…..HE knows who needs to read what we write. HIS WORD does not come back void!
Rosie says
Oh thanks Sarah Mae!!
After a week full of criticism to my own, much hard words of my coworker and the constant view on my imperfect walk, I really needed to read this. Yeah, we’re too often looking on our own instead of the power of Christ. Beautifully written. Sometimes I’m feeling like never breaking through this circle but you gave me more power to look at Christ and His faithfulness and mercy, at His great love. Thanks for reminding me of what’s important
Hugs, Rosie
Jeanine says
Needed this big time. I write then second-guess. Delete then rewrite. I worry about pushing too hard, knowing those who read what I post will hold my feet to the fire! But there is this inner nudge that tells me to keep going, even if only three people ever read it. What you wrote blessed me tonight. 🙂
Debbie Kelley says
This was such a perfect reminder to me of where I am supposed to be in life. When you know God is yanking at your heart and calling you to bigger things, Satan will fill your life with so many distractions, that it takes your mind off what is important. And as I have learned, they can even come in the form of Seemingly Godly people. My mind may wonder, but I am ever grateful to my God who touches that place deep inside me and gently takes my face and turns my head back to see the road he has put me on. The real importance of self criticing is that we know who we are in Christ and most importantly…others see that in us!!!! My greatest hearts desire is that I wear Jesus everywhere I go and my presence will be His presence in the lives of others. Not always do I accomplish that and I often let Self Criticing of my job performance get in the way and forget about criticing what I am doing for God. I am getting better at that…. But often need a gentle reminder. I was a few days late reading this blog, but.. God knew the best time for me. Thank you for sharing your heart!!!
Beth Williams says
Thank you Sara Mae.
This was super inspirational!! This post can be applied to many aspects of life-not just writing.
Loved the phrase “as I get out of my own way, and keep my eyes on purposes of the kingdom.” Also “Friends, let’s stop tripping over our own feet, our own inadequacies and quirks” I need to stop criticizing myself for lack of certain skills and acknowledge what skills I have been given by God. That is speaking loud and clear to me.