Embracing the Servant Writer Role

Embracing the Servant Writer Role
Monday, August 7, 2023 by CHERI STRANGE

GUEST AUTHOR

Cheri Strange, PhD.

Childhood recess can leave a lasting mark. In the environment where I grew up, fairness, feelings, and failings were hardly considered. It was a place where one had to develop a thick skin, and any existing hurts were deeply ingrained. Being excluded from games, enduring vicious name-calling, or being picked last for teams only reinforced the feeling of not measuring up.

Dealing with Negativity in the Writing Journey

Maybe you can relate. Likely you have submitted your best work only to be rejected because it lacks appeal, your platform falls short, or the writing needs improvement. Rejections land hard upon our hearts and minds. We can tell ourselves turndowns are part of the author's life, but such negativity leaves its mark. The dread of recognizing all that you are not can be debilitating, questioning God's call to write.

Discovering Your True Identity

From the opening lines of his letter, James left all such dread on the playground. In one sentence, this man articulated a clear sense of God's purpose for his life, and it had nothing to do with ability, social status, or successful campaigns.

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." - James 1:1 ESV

Neither his vocation nor his skill level defined him. Knowing to whom he belongs and how that should play out in his life overshadowed all else. Paul describes this knowing to the Corinthians, asking them to consider whom God calls:

"God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him." - 1 Corinthians 1:28-29

God's Preference for the Unlikely

Those to whom Paul writes were very much like you and me. They leaned toward obscurity. Paul rightly reminds the Corinthians of God's strange work of the Gospel in them so that Jesus might get the glory rather than man. God picks those we might skip over: the weak, the untrained, and the unlikely. He chooses them on purpose. Therefore, there is room for God to use “less-thans” like you and me.

When the dread of all we are not leaves us feeling inferior and unfitted for the work, let us remember James, who calls himself the servant of God and of Jesus Christ. This identity colored each effort and covered every inadequacy so that he could do that which he was called.

Prayer for Embracing the Servant Writer Role

Lord Jesus, help me prioritize serving God over seeking success and human praise. May I trust Your ability to use my weaknesses for Your glory. Let me find strength in my identity in You, embracing my calling with confidence, knowing I'm chosen by You for this purpose. Amen.

By adopting a servant writer mindset, we find freedom from expectations and comparisons, embracing our unique voices for His glory our the good of others.

Cheri Strange has helped over 750,000 women redefine their worth through her writing, speaking, and popular YouVersion Bible reading plans. As an author and national speaker, Cheri helps other women see themselves through a Biblical lens. Dr. Strange holds a Ph.D. from Baylor University, and is the author of the award-winning book, Can You See Me, Now? Cheri and her husband live in Houston with their eight children and her Maine Coon cat.