There’s an old farming adage: “plant pears for your heirs” — a reminder about the slow-growing nature of pear trees. They take a long time to bear fruit, but when they do, it’s beautifully abundant and sweet. This saying gives me hope about other kinds of fruit in my life too.
Some years ago on a Wednesday afternoon, I made several attempts to slip away to my office to write. It’s a tiny bedroom I repurposed using hand-me-down furniture, a few antique lamps, and a small fish tank containing my writing buddy, a blue betta fish named Indigo Montoya. It’s my little sacred space for talking to Jesus and writing.
It was Spring 2018, and well over a week had passed since I’d been able to spend time writing. My creative spirit was yearning to be unleashed. The trouble is, it’s hard to unleash your creativity when you’re a busy working mom. Your creative flow may be ready, but your family may not be.
Despite trying to steal time to write, two children and a husband ended up with me in the small room that day. We were crowded into a space meant for me and my creativity. Before they showed up in my office, I’d lost and found my glasses, misplaced my computer, and retrieved my cell phone from my son, who was playing a game on it.
I shooed them away as lovingly as I was able, despite feeling intensely impatient. My middle schooler needed her dad’s help with math homework. My little boy informed me that there was “nothing to do” in a forlorn tone that eventually erupted into tears. My sweet husband claimed he thought I wanted him to join me upstairs in my office to chat because I’d just poured him a cup of coffee upon his arrival home.
To be honest, I just wanted them all to go away and do without me for a little bit. At that time, life had brought a constant string of activity and obligations that kept my writing at bay. A too-full schedule makes me restless and cranky, especially when I can’t accomplish the things I want to.
How was I supposed to write encouraging thoughts about Jesus while restless and cranky?
I often feel like I am wading through Jell-O when it comes to getting anything done in my creative life. Deep within, there are stories to tell and words that want to flow. Deep without, duty calls, along with guilt about not being able to balance my life and manage my time better. Worse still, I stand in my own way, suffering with impostor syndrome and analysis paralysis.
Slow and steady
Back then, my goals included spending a lot more time writing, researching, and pitching my work in hopes of developing connections and gaining traction as a freelancer. Years later, the goals are the similar, but there has a little been forward motion.
In the time since that Wednesday afternoon frustration of not being able to sit down and write, I’ve taken many other opportunities to do so. I’ve written tens of thousands of words on several novels. That’s a big deal considering all the other things going on in my life. Now I need to choose one and finish it. But that’s another story completely.
If life has taught me anything, it’s that nothing worth having happens quickly. Slow and steady wins the race—sometimes painfully slow.
Other writing accomplishments in the years since we crowded in my office include shifting from writing on Medium and building a small presence here on Substack. I like the community here better and have found a clearer focus/niche.
A corporate freelancing client hired me for a couple of jobs. I also became a member of the Her View From Home writing team, and have been accepted multiple times into their publication. I’ve won awards at a writers’ conference. My writing earnings have grown from zero to a little bit of money. I call all that a win.
The fruit is slowly emerging. These are things I didn’t imagine doing years ago when I started writing again. God hasn’t forgotten His promises. When we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desire of our hearts.
We all have dreams. Sometimes it feels like we’ll never get there or too many things prevent us from progressing. But slow progress is still progress. Embrace it. Small advances add up. Before you realize it, you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come.
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:7–8, NIV)
I trust God as I wait for the yield in my creative life. Even though my sowing is slow and the growth is even slower, He will bring fruit. These days, the kids are much more self-sufficient. I am mostly in my own way, wrestling with myself about finishing a novel. Although I often feel I am not getting anywhere and just can’t seem to move forward, God sees me. He has a plan for my dream because He is the Dreamgiver.
Though the process feels slow, God is working. Not only is He working on my situation, but He is also working on me.
Community Garden:
Join in the conversation by leaving a comment. Let’s get to know one another better as we continue on the writer’s journey.
Have you ever experienced discouragement in a creative pursuit because you felt things were slow-going?
What little wins can you celebrate as you continue your creative journey?
