AUGUST: A Prayerful Invitation for the Faithful Creative

As August begins, many of us are looking ahead at the month with anticipation of fresh projects, unfinished manuscripts, or perhaps writing dreams we’ve quietly carried for a long time. The middle of the year can leave us feeling energized or discouraged. It truly depends on where you are in your life, and writing life. We may even wistfully wonder if our words are making a difference at all. <sigh>

Therese Kay recently shared this beautiful acrostic for August in The Faithful Creative Facebook group. As soon as I read it, I couldn’t help but see how perfectly it speaks to our lives as Christian writers.

I encourage you to grab a fresh beverage. Let’s reframe our thinking. Perhaps this month isn’t about writing more.

Perhaps it’s about writing more faithfully.

They say writers are readers. But, writers are also observers. We notice what others rush past: a conversation overheard while waiting in line at the grocery store, the way sunlight falls across a kitchen table, the tears someone quickly wipes away before anyone notices.

But attending isn’t only about seeing the world around us. It’s also about paying attention to the work God has placed in front of us. Our words on the page.

The ugly habit of comparison to what other writers are doing constantly invites us to look sideways. We watch another author’s book launch, another newsletter’s growth, another person’s success, and suddenly we’ve stopped seeing our own divine assignment.

I have a friend I’ve been helping as her accountability coach. She’s a prolific author. She’s a gifted author. But, she too needs to be reminded to stay in her lane, and focus on HER calling. Reminders to not compare to other authors.

God never asked us to write someone else’s story.

He asked us to be faithful with ours.

Journal Prompt

Where have I been looking sideways instead of forward? What is God inviting me to notice in my own writing life today?

As Christian writers, we aren’t simply arranging words. We’re uncovering grace.

Sometimes the holy appears in dramatic testimonies. Other times it’s found in ordinary Tuesday mornings sitting on the patio observing something in nature that spurs a writing idea, unanswered questions, imperfect families, various caregiver life duties, and quiet acts of obedience.

Our ideal reader isn’t looking for perfection.

They’re looking for hope. They’re looking for direction. If you happen to write fiction, they are looking for entertainment.

When we write honestly, with Christ at the center guiding our writing life, we give readers permission to recognize God’s presence in their own ordinary lives. [Reminder dear friends, God’s presence is in the hope, the uplift, and yes, even the chuckle or smile.]

Journal Prompt

Who is the one reader I believe God has placed on my heart? What truth do they most need to hear from me this season?

It’s easy to view other writers as competition. But please remember this sweet writer friend. The Kingdom has no shortage of readers who need the words we write.

Every author has been given a unique voice because every audience carries different hurts, different questions, different needs, different desires, and different stories.

Instead of measuring ourselves against someone else’s platform, we can celebrate the ways God is using them while remaining faithful to our own calling.

Love frees us from comparison.

Love reminds us that another writer’s success never diminishes our own assignment.

Journal Prompt

Find three other writers who write in my genre. How can I celebrate them instead of comparing myself to them? How can I bless them this week?

Sometimes the greatest obstacle to writing isn’t a lack of talent.

It’s the bog of hesitation.

We tell ourselves we’ll write when we have more time. More clarity. More confidence.

We doom scroll instead of draft.

We research instead of finish.

We wait for inspiration instead of practicing discipline.

Every writer develops habits. Some of those habits nurture creativity and others that quietly steal it.

Perhaps this month God is inviting us to release the habits that keep us from the page and replace them with rhythms that make space for Him to meet us there.

Journal Prompt

What habit consistently pulls me away from writing? What one small change could help me return to the page more faithfully?

We often underestimate what fifteen minutes can accomplish.

A paragraph.

A page.

A revised chapter.

One encouraging newsletter.

One faithful prayer before opening the laptop.

Books aren’t written all at once. They’re written one sentence at a time.

Nothing is built into completion overnight.

Faithfulness grows quietly through those plain and ordinary days that don’t seem remarkable until we look back. We have a “wow” moment and realize… God was weaving something beautiful all along.

Never, never, never, ever despise the small beginnings.

Today’s few words may become tomorrow’s finished manuscript.

Journal Prompt

What’s one small writing step I can take today instead of waiting for the perfect writing day?

Our words carry light.

Not because we are extraordinary writers, but because we serve the One who is the Light of the World!

Every story of redemption...
Every honest confession...
Every prayer shared...
Every reminder of God’s faithfulness…
Every smile and chuckle…

...pushes back darkness just a little more.

You may never know whose faith is strengthened because they read your words on exactly the day they needed them.

Write anyway.

Share anyway.

Trust God with the impact.

The world doesn’t need louder voices.

It needs faithful ones.

Journal Prompt

What message has God placed on my heart that I’ve been hesitant to share? What would it look like to offer it as an act of obedience rather than worrying about the outcome?

Lord,

Help us attend to the work You’ve entrusted to us.

Open our eyes to the holy woven through everyday life.

Teach us to celebrate other writers instead of comparing ourselves to them.

Give us courage to let go of habits that hinder our calling.

Remind us that every faithful word matters, even when the progress feels small.

And may every sentence we write reflect Your light, bringing hope, truth, and grace to those You have called us to serve.

May August become a month not merely of productivity, but of faithful presence with You.

Amen.

The Faithful Creative Facebook group is a little corner where we gather for accountability and encouragement. A weekly accountability post can help you center your thoughts and actions for the week. We would love to have you over there if you need a little group hug, encouragement, and accountability. https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefaithfulcreative

I have a 1:1 Accountability program called “Momentum & Ink”. I invite you to read more about it. If you have further questions, you can always send me a message here. Or if you click to the information page, my email is inside the info page.

Hugs from my desk to yours….

Kim