Have you found yourself in a “hurry up and wait” situation where everything seems to be moving more slowly than you expected or wanted? What can you do when you’re ready to move forward, but God is telling you to wait? This week’s Publishing Secrets guest, Kirstyn Mayden, had followed God’s prompting to write her book and start the publishing process, but then she had to wait on others to do their part, too. If you’re overwhelmed by all of your to-dos and worries about what will or won’t happen in the future, Kirstyn has a word of encouragement just for you!
In this episode, you’ll also hear:
When Kirstyn Mayden was putting together her devotional Merciful Moments: A Devotional Journal for Moving Forward With Grace Each Day, she decided to take a different approach to the table of contents than many authors use for their devotional books. Instead of labeling the sections as “days,” she labeled them according to their action-based topics.
“I wanted the reader to have freedom to look at the topics and scan whatever topics they may be going through in that season, and whatever resonated with them,” she explains. “And I didn't want anybody to feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, I missed day one! I'm gonna freak out!’ Because that's the purpose of receiving God's mercy: to give yourself that grace. So I wanted that to start while reading the book.”
It was also important to Kirstyn that each of these sections have a clear action step for readers to follow so they can move forward in faith after receiving God’s mercy and being encouraged by His word. Of course, we can trust that God will take care of our needs, but Kirstyn argues that we also have a responsibility to fulfill the role God has empowered and equipped us to play.
According to Kirstyn, part of that responsibility is to understand that we can’t always control our circumstances — but we can choose to keep ourselves encouraged and moving forward even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Often, this means focusing on the present day instead of letting ourselves get distracted by worries about the future.
“When we take the time to focus on today, it's a way to relieve the pressure off ourselves of having to carry all that weight of wanting to know the outcome,” Kirstyn says. “Then we'll be able to focus more on giving gratitude and focus more on, ‘What needs are being met for me this day?’ As opposed to what needs I may not have tomorrow.”
Choosing to focus on one day at a time like this allows us to be present and appreciate the small moments of beauty God gives us each day. Scripture tells us that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), but if we’re always thinking about what’s happening tomorrow or next week, we may miss the mercies of today.
When it came to actually writing and publishing her book, Kirstyn says it was not a quick process by any means. Although she knew for years that she wanted to write a book — and kept telling herself she would do it — she kept putting it off. Even after she’d started writing, she hesitated to share it with others, because she wanted it to be “perfect.”
“I just gave myself a list of all these reasons why it wasn’t ready to move forward,” she recalls. “And in that moment, God was like, ‘You know what? You’re just going to have to step out and move forward. It’s never going to be perfect.”
Once Kirstyn accepted that it was time to share her work and hired an editor, she found herself getting frustrated by how long it took to undergo multiple rounds of editing — and then to get it all finished up and ready for publication.
“It's been a journey,” she says now. “But I'm glad that at the top of the year, I didn't tell myself again the list of reasons why this wasn't ready to move forward. So it's been about a two year process, but I'm glad that I stayed the course. And I'm glad that I didn't let my pursuit of perfection and my fears totally deter me from moving forward.”
Maybe you, like Kirstyn, are afraid to share your manuscript with others. Or maybe something else is holding you back from moving forward with writing and publishing the message God has given you.
Whatever the case may be, Kirstyn urges you not to give up. Pray for God’s guidance, and make use of the resources you have to work on your book and your craft just a little each day. When you need help (and you will!), don’t be afraid to invest in professional assistance so you can present your God-given message as effectively as possible.
“This journey of writing a book is not just about writing the book — ultimately, the message that you have for your reader is going to live on long beyond the book’s publishing,” Kirstyn says in closing. “This is your message to the world that God has given you, and it's going to be beautiful, but you have to stay the course. So don't give up, be encouraged, and know that the message that God has given you to write will manifest in its due time.”
BIO:
Kirstyn Mayden is a Christian blogger who writes devotionals that empower and equip believers in their everyday lives. She is a wife, Mom, Pastor’s wife, writer, speaker, non-profit leader and most importantly, loves Jesus with all her heart. She is also a writing contributor for Beloved Women, Bible Study Tools, and iBelieve. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. For the last 20 years, Kirstyn has served in several ministry capacities serving with children, youth and women. She has a passion to serve with women empowering them to grow and live out their God-given purpose. Currently, she serves alongside her husband in ministry in West Virginia. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
GET CONNECTED:
Website: www.kirstynspeakshope.com
Get Kirstyn’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Merciful-Moments-Devotional-Journal-Forward/dp/1953000126
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kirstynsmayden
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirstyn.brownmayden