Running the Publishing Gauntlet
Happy Wednesday, friends. You might be wondering what on earth I mean by a publishing gauntlet. The word has different meanings, but the definition I’m referring to is:
Gauntlet: weapons that strike at an individual who is made to run between them. A race that poses an ordeal or is filled with obstacles.
As Christians, we are called to run a race. One with great opposition that we must overcome and continue to preserve along the narrow path Jesus has called us to until we’re home with our Savior.
Jesus flat-out tells us that the road He calls us on is difficult and in Hebrews, we are to throw off everything that hinders.
As Christian writers, I believe we too are called to the narrow path. We are writing stories that glorify God, that hopefully bring others to Him, or strengthen fellow Christians on their journey. Satan doesn’t want this to happen and so there is strong opposition.
So many authors I’ve talked to have dealt with terrible ordeals or at the very least obstacles in their journey. Everything ranges from the heartbreaking news of a serious illness or the loss of a loved one. Personally, I lost my mom and grandma within two months of each other. Shattered (the second book in my Alaskan Courage series) was due on the day of my mom’s funeral and my grandma went home to be with Jesus the day Submerged released. God called them home but Satan whispers in the sorrow. “You can’t trust God. Look at what happened.” Satan knows the truth, but he has been a liar since the beginning, and he wants you to believe his lies.
These lies can lead to doubting God’s timing on publication, on sales numbers, and make us wonder if we’re even supposed to be writing. He tries to get us to give up, but God is faithful. He is stronger than Satan’s lies. He is honest and never lies and He tells us:
“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!” -Psalm 40:4
God is for us and if you love to write, God created you that way. So write. Push past the obstacles with perseverance and run that race for God and His glory.
There’s a quote in my office that I love:
So don’t give up. Keep running your race.
Question for you?
What has helped you preserve in life or in writing?
Blessings,
Dani
