The Gift of Life

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."- John 10:10

Photo by digidreamgrafix. from freedigitalphotos.net

We all know how easy it is to be distracted during the Christmas season. We hear messages about commercialism, and time management, and how to find the perfect cookies on Pinterest. It's oh-so-easy to get caught up every. single. year. isn't it?

But today I want to talk specifically about how the whirlwind as well as the magic of the holidays affects out writing.

It's not secret to anyone that CBA is a hard sell right now. It's no secret agents are hard to come by and editors, even harder. And if you do have a publisher, you may be crossing your fingers, hoping their fiction program stays funded.

And so, we see a trend. Yet again, it becomes oh-so-easy to get caught up in it all. Like the stress of present wrapping, we get so fixated on the outward characteristics of the industry that we forget the gift itself. If we aren't careful, our hearts grow weary and disheartened. 

But oh, what a gift we have. 

As Christians who write--whether that be for CBA, ABA, or just for ourselves and God, we have been given the gift of life, and it ought to shine through our manuscripts. Some will be more forthright in the mesage than others, depending on our callings. But we all ought to share the redemption, and the hope, and the life that came into the world on the very first Christmas.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas to all of you, sweet friends. And because I like spreading Christmas cheer, I couldn't resist sharing this picture of my baby in a Santa hat... ;)

Photo by the INCREDIBLE Megan at Southern Grace Photography

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Ashley Clark writes romance with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.