Category / Writing

what are the little foxes in Song of Solomon 2:15
by Jesse

Love and War and Little Foxes

As some of my readers may have noticed, I haven’t been posting everyday like I had been doing earlier in the year. I had every intention of writing for 365 days straight, but things just didn’t work out that way.

Starting this blog wasn’t a New Year’s resolution of mine. It was born out of a very real need for communication in my heart language. When you go from one culture where you can fully express yourself and be understood, to a different culture where those things don’t come as easily or naturally, I think it is important to find some way to  “download” your thoughts. Otherwise, you start to go a little stir crazy.

From the beginning, this blog has been about developing a greater zeal for knowing and loving Jesus Christ. While blogging has truly helped me to organize and weigh all the thoughts I have floating around in my head, it has, first and foremost, helped me to become closer to my Savior.

The reason I stopped writing for the past couple of months wasn’t because I stopped trying to grow in my relationship with Christ. Rather, I stopped writing because I have been growing in my relationship with Christ. The past few months have been some of the most difficult spiritually on record. Recently, I have warred with doubt, fear, and insecurity, sometimes all at once. The enemy has been gunning for me, so to speak. But now, through spending more secret time alone with God, I am learning how to confront these things head on with His Word.

For much of my life, I have cowered from confrontation out of fear of losing someone or something I hold dear. Many times I have asked God to take the fear away without much avail. I realize now that I should instead pray for more love, for it is perfect love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

With that being said, I hope to begin writing more regularly again. In general, I pray that God would fill me with more joy, victory, hope, and love as I follow Christ. For me, this is a season of catching foxes. These are the things that seek to steal my joy and disrupt my intimacy with God.

Perhaps, it’s time for you to catch those little foxes too.

Catch the foxes for us,
    the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
    for our vineyards are in blossom.

Song of Songs 2:15

black and white typewriter
by Jesse

Oh, Be Careful Little Fingers What You Type

This morning I woke up with a million different things I wanted to write about. But, soon a problem emerged. I didn’t need a million ideas, I just needed one. I started drafting a post for today, but half-way through I felt like God was saying “no.” And as I read through what I had written, I realized what He meant. It is a subject that one day I want to talk about, but at this point it is not ready. In fact, in its current draft it would likely not accomplish its intended goal at all. It needs time to developed and thought out.

God does not call us to do things with indifference. Instead, everything we do should be done as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:17 says,

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Brothers and sisters, one day we will all have to give an account for everything we have done, thought, and spoken (2 Corinthians 5:10). This includes every Facebook post, every email, every text, every Google search, and every blog post. Deleting a post or clearing one’s browser history does not hide it from God. So, be extremely careful with what you write and share online.

Also, take time to develop your ideas. Maybe they are not ready now, but they will be in the future. It could be that God is protecting both you and your audience from unnecessary pain. I still regret some things I have written in the past. Because of my pride, arrogance, and hastiness I decided to share them publicly before I had taken the time to pray about them and develop them properly. The results always ended poorly. It can also be wise to run your ideas by a trusted friend and/or mentor who will give you honest feedback.

Moving forward, I pray that we would all be quicker to hear and slower to speak (James 1:19). We must learn to listen to God’s voice before we decide to amplify our own. We should be like megaphones in the hands of God, simply tools for proclaiming His Word. Ultimately, the world doesn’t need my blog or yours, but it does need Jesus.