For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to write. During years of school and ministry, I have from time to time taken in hand to fulfill this desire — this dream.
I sincerely believe I am supposed to write. It’s just there. A shadow trailing my steps constantly whispering, “You need to write that.”
It seems appropriate for me to ask a very basic question. “WHY?” “Why do I want to write?” Am I just indulging a narcissistic infatuation with my own over-blown opinions? Who cares what I have to say anyway?
I have no desire to descend into useless self-analysis, so I’ll try to be brief. There are four reasons why I write.
1. To make a difference.
It may seem melodramatic. It may be shamelessly ambitious, but somehow there is a hope and a desire to change the world.
It was Edward Everett Hale who wrote “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.”
Words are powerful. They are also illusory and must be retained. Perhaps, by writing, a voice of hope, of sanity, of help, and influence for good can find a place to grow.
2. To understand.
Francis Bacon once said, “Reading makes a man full, conversation makes a man ready, writing makes a man exact.” When my thoughts pass through my fingers onto the page, they crystallize. They develop and mature.
Confusion coalesces into order in the writing process. I should write if for no other reason than it helps me. I figure things out as I put them on paper.
3. To speak to those I cannot otherwise reach.
For a million reasons most of us are unable to communicate as we want. Either the words don’t come at the right time, or the person’s ears are unable to hear. The written word can go where I may never be invited.
It is amazing what we can say to those who hear though the pen. These words lay waiting to be discovered. They remain.
4. To fulfill my destiny.
Every man longs to leave a legacy. We seek to rise to our greatest effectiveness. We mark our moments with words and send them into future generations as guiding lamps.
Calling operates that way. Because of this, I know I am to write.
For the past three years, I have devoted myself to writing through blogging. As this new year begins, I will be accelerating the pace and, I trust, the effectiveness. To that end I devote this work