Fix your eyes on Jesus for
motivation
I was plodding along in the early stages of this book, semi-satisfied with the bulk of the work thus far — the usual stack of yellow sheets written in longhand.
I knew much of it was secondhand, the results of lots of reading and study and putting down thoughts of my own — but also heavily laced with quotes.
A little of it was good; most of it just lay there. Well, it was six months to the publisher's deadline; I figured with time something would come together.
God knew what I needed: a K.I.T.P. (That's short for "kick in the pants.")
Jolt One: I asked Ray to critique something else I'd written. "It's too borrowed," said Ray. "It's not enough you."
Oh, my. This new book manuscript (which he hadn't seen yet) was even more borrowed.
Jolt Two: A woman I'd never met wrote saying she was praying for my new book and wanted to give me a verse in connection with it: 1 John 1:1.
Oh, my goodness! —
That which . . . we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life.
My eyes, really for the first time since beginning to work on Fix Your Eyes on Jesus, fixed on Him! (So far they'd been fixed on my project.)
I looked up in surprise.
He seemed to be telling me, "Anne, you've gone about this all wrong. Your gift isn't enough. Your experience isn't enough. Your usual formula for the bookwriting process isn't enough.
"All gathered human resources, in themselves, are a Tower of Bable; they're impotent. Without Me you can do nothing.
"Fix your eyes again on Me. Listen to My fresh directions."
And so I "listened" to 1 John 1:1, from Him:
1. To be authentic, the book must come from what I myself have seen and heard and felt — from my own experiences and knowledge, not just other people's passed on (don't bottle-feed, breast-feed!) —
That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes . . . this we proclaim . . . ."
2. And yet it mustn't be primarily about me:
This . . . proclaim concerning the Word of Life.
I was ablaze! I'd received my K.I.T.P. I knew how to go.
Look, at this moment are you just plodding, too? Don't lose heart.
My six months of going through the motions weren't worthless; uninspired work is better than no work at all. I'd gotten a little good material, and most of all it made me so grateful at last for that fresh voice from the Lord.
But are you, as I was, in the plodding stage — doing what you think you're supposed to do, but without fire, without strong motivation, without a fresh sense of direction?
Or are you operating primarily off your own personality, your training, your particular expertise? Are you — even as a Christian — living basically on the human level?
Or are you only drawing on yesterday? Are you eating moldy manna? Are you stale?
In other words, do you need a new K.I.T.P.?
* * * * *
Fix your eyes on Jesus. In Deuteronomy 1:6 and 7, He says to you,
You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance.
