Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go, [imitating a goat] “that’s baaaaad.” Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – John Keating, Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society is the film that first stirred the embers in my heart and forever deepened my desire to share my voice with others through writing. I even based a poem off the characters in the film, in 8th grade (1998), called The Boys of Society that was astonishingly well-received by my classmates and English teacher, Mrs. Fitzgerald, who fortified me toward a future in writing.
Sadly, I almost let those embers burn out over the course of the last 16 years, and last week those embers were rekindled through an email devotional, written by a young man named Austin. In this particular devotion he shared the wisdom he gained through two years of writing these email devotions, initially received by 12-15 of his family and friends. Austin described the importance of being creative, being vulnerable and recognizing the fact that God’s visions are always bigger than our own. As we speak, over 100 people receive his devotionals.
Immediately I admired his courage to share his heart with such a wide audience, some of whom he has never even met, but as I continued through his email a deep conviction and sense of guilt overcame me. I knew I had been ignoring a calling the Lord placed on my heart all those years ago in eighth grade: to be a writer. Three years ago, I ignored the call again, after I deleted a blog I began the week I committed my life to Christ. For almost a year I described my journey through God’s refinement of my heart in hope that it would encourage others to make the same journey. However, my fear of being labeled as a ‘hypocrite’ and my insecurity of writing nothing of value to others overcame me and thus marked the end of my blog.
Learning that Austin has been sharing his devotionals for two years, amidst the same fears, convicted me in ways I couldn’t possibly begin to describe. Hearing how many people he never imagined he would reach through his devotionals and Monday Words of Encouragement was awe-inspiring but also heart-breaking, because I know without a doubt God was speaking to more people than I realized through my blog, and I selfishly took that away from them. However, in Austin’s devotional I was reminded of one key characteristic of God. Austin wrote, “Grace will never stop pouring over you. Be pure in heart, not perfect.”
God’s grace is sufficient for me, and through his grace I have been given another chance to pursue his desire for me to write. Here’s to… {Imagine me raising a Champagne flute of rosemary lemonade, sweet peach tea or just clean water with ice} …finding freedom in my writing and gaining the courage to sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world! Thank you Austin for reminding me.
“Through it I have found the best kind of freedom. Being honest and transparent has given me much accountability, growth, and a deeper dependency on Christ.” – Austin Shugart
