Have You Seen This Woman?

by | May 14, 2024 | For Book Lovers, Non-fiction | 6 comments

I was at a writers conference some years ago when I sensed God posing some questions.

  • What if you’re doing all this work for just one reader?
  • Would you do all of these things for just one person whose life and heart will be nourished by this story you’re writing?
  • Will you do it for just one person even if she doesn’t read your book until after you die?  Would you, will you even then?

Honestly, besides feeling I might have landed in a Dr Seuss story, I was at that moment deep in the waters of overwhelm from conference classes that opened this hopeful writer’s eyes to exactly how long and arduous the road from idea to bookshelf was bound to be.

My answer didn’t come easy.

But, when it’s God asking the hard questions (and since I am His actual property) I know the only answer is yes.

And knowing that, why would anyone risk filling the time between question and answer with a bath in the stormy sea and an uncomfortable ride to shore? (Right, Jonah?)

Still, though I did say yes that day, the questions haven’t stopped. More questions keep coming and coming even now. Only they have a different quality to them.

Instead of,

How can I convince an agent to take me on?

and,

What is the largest group of readers I could thrill with my book?,

I entertain questions like,

Who is she, this mysterious reader?

What do I need to do to reach her?

and,

How can I be faithful to keep writing the words her heart needs if she’s the only one who will ever want or need them?

In pondering that question, Who is she?, I’ve come to see her age or location or career or hobbies don’t really matter all that much. Of course, she will have such things. Everyone fits in the demographic somewhere, right? She will be young or old, rich or poor, short or tall. These things, I don’t know.

The more important thing for me to understand is her interior landscape.

In an effort to do that, I put together a sort of Missing Person’s description. A way to get to know and understand this someone I may never meet.

And as a step toward figuring out all the things I might need to do to reach her, I’m sharing my Missing Person description with you.

Because she might just possibly be someone you know.

She could be your mother or sister or co-worker.

She could be the new woman at church you’ve yet to say hello to, or your best friend.

She may, in fact, be you.

So, if you find her, would you please point her in my direction? I’m making something just for her.

 

Do You Know This Woman?

She once perched at the edge of her pew and reveled in the idea of the thing. She was wooed by the romance and imagined her fully surrendered life as this shining work of art. Then she stood at the edge of the abyss. She stood at that “What if I jump and God isn’t there?” place and jumped scared. She jumped and discovered the wild glory and wonder of the bold, true life she had imagined, and the lonely, dry corners of wrung-out, heart-breaking silence she had not.

Even so, on her best and bravest days, she revels (a bit more quietly) in the romance of being God’s possession—To do with. as. He. will.

She is a mess of contradictions. She is weak and stubbornly tenacious, an optimistic pessimist, a shy performer, an authentic phony, a brave chicken. She is a woman grown bold in her faith, still taunted by anxiety—and, in some black seasons, depression. She is a church girl who knows the bolstering companionship of God’s loyal, caring people and the devastation of being left to struggle on, alone, at the far end of the pew. She is the scarred friend you go to for deep talk and dizzy laughter into the wee hours. The one who remembers the just-right words of God and blushes to hunt for the address.

And right now, she’s a worn-out servant longing for a quiet space just to sink her roots deep in the soil of God’s love.

To this woman, by way of words, I offer relief. A break. Fresh water for those thirsty roots. Space to breathe. Room to re-leaf her feeble sheltering limbs for God’s next too-big-for-her assignment. To this woman I offer a place to ponder and pray, and a people to walk with in her gloriously messy, surrendered life.

 

6 Comments

  1. Susie Crosby

    What a beautifully detailed description, Jody. It is a gift to feel so known by a writer. Thankful to be one of your lucky readers.

    Reply
    • Jody

      Thank you, Susie! I’m so very grateful for the ways you continually encourage me.

      Reply
  2. steve paschall

    Jody, you did it again! What a poignant feast of more than words, of life, of love, of the somewhat simple yet life challenging walk we have with the One Who Made Us. May He wrap his arms around you this day and make your wonderful efforts flourish before your eyes, a rich harvest of love from the Father, His Son and His Spirit. I’m one of those, like Susie said, “One of your lucky readers.” Also your friend. It was also wonderful being with your parents yesterday morning.

    Reply
    • Jody

      I’m so glad you got to connect with my parents! Thank you for these words of blessing on my writing. What a gift that is to me.

      Reply
  3. Kimalea Arrighi

    Dearest Jody,

    I loved your post. Thank you for writing your thoughts on the page.

    You’re writings are more than words. They are helpful nudges to keep readers, moving and thinking… And dreaming for themselves.

    Reply
    • Jody

      Oh, Kimalea, what a lovely complement. Thank you.

      Reply

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