What I Want to Be When I Grow Up
by Kathy Nickerson
Remember this writing assignment from grade school? In those days, most of us had pretty glamorous dreams for the future. And we expected the NFL recruiters, movie producers, and astronaut trainers to simply discover us in obscurity one day.
For me, the dream always included writing, and I kept waiting for someone to activate me from the outside. I had daydreams about One-of-the-Big-Guys laying his hands on me at an altar, prophesying about my great call, and then launching me into my destiny. Then, one day I woke up and realized something. God gave me this gift. He expects me to use it.
I also knew God was not waiting for the next Holy Ghost moment in a meeting to tell me so. Prophetic confirmation is awesome. I’m grateful to have received some tremendous words through the years, and I hope God speaks to me through prophets many more times before I die. But God had been whispering to my soul about this call for decades. It was my job to do something about it.
So, after talking to trusted leaders, I began looking for places to write. I started with the front page of the church bulletin. Then I moved on to the neighborhood news column of our local paper. I took courses, attended conferences, read books, studied the Bible and prayed. Eventually some of my work was published in national magazines.
I’m still doing all of the above, and I’m still having a few articles accepted. I have no idea where God will take this gift. Maybe the greatest thing I’ll ever do is to write the neighborhood news column. Almost every week, someone from the local community stops me in the grocery store and comments on something I said. I write about everything from the progress of our corn crop to the adventures of our mission team. And, if those three paragraphs encourage some rugged farmer to glorify God, then halleluiah!
I don’t know for sure what fruit my efforts are yielding. But, I do know I’m being obedient to the heavenly vision. And that is enough.
So, what do you want to be when you grow up? And how can you get started?
Hey, Kathy! You just wrote my bio. Ditto to all of it.
Feeling conviction and hope over this in Kirksville. This reminds me of a quote from John Calvin regarding Providence —
Thus Joab, while he acknowledges that the issue of the battle is entirely in the hand of God, does not therefore become inactive, but strenuously proceeds with what belongs to his proper calling, “Be of good courage,” says he, “and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the Lord do that which seemeth him good,” (2 Sam. 10:12).
I may have posted that quote an another of your articles. I don’t have too many quotes in my pocket. Regardless, I love the heart of being faithful to stir up the gift of God in you, and trusting the outcome of that offering to Him.
Thanks, Lollie!
Trey, excellent quote! Thank you for posting it.
This rings true with me on so many levels. Over and over, God has dealt with me about this issue. I seem to give Him a lot of resistance because I’m not the best at any of the things He wants me to do. But He still wants me to do it. I’ve been through it with dance, music/worship, and the latest one– writing. And that’s something that got prophesied to me! That must really mean God wants me to write. So, I do. I’m not the best at it, and I have no idea what God is going to do with it. But, like you said, all that matters is that I am in obedience to Him.
Thanks so much for this! Wonderful article!
Andrew just found all the issues of Covenant Life Review and is reading them from cover to cover. He’s on the one called Wind’s of Change with a tornado on the front cover. I’m going to read them over too. There’s some really good stuff in there…Keefer’s Corner and Grandpa’s Prayer…..along with an article by Dow Robinson, “Where Are You Going?” and Buck Hudson’s, “The Reformation”. Good good good stuff.
Patty, I’m so glad to hear Andrew’s enjoying those magazines. I’ve reread them a few times myself
I’ve thought of doing something with Keefer’s someday. We’ll see.