Do you think that people with an inclination to write and share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings with the world—do you think that these people have an obligation to write as well? There are certain holy gifts discussed in the Bible, such as the gift of phrophesy and the ability to speak in tongues. These are powerful gifts indeed and I do not undermine their high value, but I think most people understand that these are not the only gifts that God bestows upon us.
Surely you have heard people say, in daily conversation, such things as “Oh your daughter is such a talented dancer,” or “She is a gifted writer,” or perhaps “He takes after his father’s charismatic skills.”
For myself, it has been brought to my attention since a young age that I am a good writer and that I have a kind heart. In my mind, these two characteristics are absolutely “gifts.”
So, everybody has gifts and talents. Do these gifts all come with a certain obligation to the world?
Should those who have a tendency to concoct ideas and philosophies for writing too develop a discipline to get every one of these ideas and philosophies down on paper for the world to read?
I find myself thinking about this much recently. It is my guess that this is thanks to my current search for a way to live out God’s purpose for me in such difficult present circumstances. I cannot fly somewhere to get my hands dirty on the mission field. I cannot continue to share Christ’s light with university students in the same way I did, for I no longer walk beside them daily. I am limited greatly in a number of areas, so I search for the areas in which I have advantage; areas, in which I am gifted.
Is my writing perhaps my vehicle into the mission field at this time in my life? Surely God allows his people to be limited and tried, but he never does let us into situations in which we have no way to serve him. Christ is alive in me, and I am a living part of his body. (Because I am fairly certain that the body of Christ is home to no useless pieces like the appendix, for example), I know this must mean that I have an important role to play, even if it is one for which I did not hope or expect.
I would be glad to hear what thoughts you have on this topic. I am always thrilled to entertain new perspectives and I am sure I have much to learn from you. Thoughts? Please do share!
Peace always,
Tanya
dreaming the questions 
I’ve been really evaluating meaning and purpose in life. I think yes, there is a certain obligation, but not in a negative sense. It’s more that god has created us with certain gifts and to bring glory to him in this world and we should be living in alignment with that. (I think) we are most content and the most productive when we are using the gifts god has given us.
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You do have a gift. Giving others the benefit of it should be a pleasure, not an obligation. I wish you plenty of pleasure
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I absolutely agree.
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You have a good point. Thank you
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I feel the term obligation is an extremely strong, almost demanding, word. I don’t think anyone is ever obligated to anything. It’s always a choice.
You can choose to pay your bills or not. You can choose to cook dinner or go out to eat, or skip eating all together and go to bed instead because the effort of getting fast food seems like too much.
We can choose to be around people and socialize, or pull away and seclude ourselves with our thoughts.
I think what it comes down to is what would make you feel fulfilled? What would give you the most happiness and inner peace?
Sometimes I need to be away from people. I need the silence. Some times I’m working through emotional issues that leave me feeling as if I’ve survived some horrible life long battle. Other times I’ve had an extremely busy day and need the time to unwind. I, personally, need the time alone to recover, to figure out my thoughts, feelings, to decompress, and to reevaluate what I feel is important. Solitude lets me regroup and to make sure I’m going the direction I want to go. Sometimes I just need a break.
During those times I can’t be open and giving. On an energy level I have nothing in me to give. It’s like asking a person with a broken leg to go run a 5k. It’s not fair to ask that. It’s actually pretty rude to go up to them and say, “Hey, by the way, I know you’re trying to recover and all, but you’re obligated to do this.” To me that’s disregarding what is best for them and their health. Spiritual and emotional health are just as important as physical health even if they are harder to see and understand.
When I am well, when I am recovered, when I am done with meditating and I understand the direction I am headed, I love sharing. I love interacting with people, and telling my stories, and offering my perspectives to others so they can see the world through different eyes. I have had a lot of experiences people would call negative, and while I agree they weren’t fun, they helped shape me into who I am, and I feel I am a stronger person for them.
I love being able to connect with people who are going through similar issues. Divorced parents, lost loved ones, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, abusive relationships, guilt, regret, self-acceptance issues, unemployment and relationship woes. None of those are warm fuzzy things, and they can make people feel so extremely alone and misunderstood. Or even that their feelings are wrong. That they shouldn’t feel the way they feel because they aren’t “good emotions”. It’s the icky underbelly of life that everyone terns a blind eye to.
That’s part of what drives me to blog about my life. It’s a way to share my perspective, my thought process, and how I have made it through, or am making it through, my trials and tribulations.
It’s a way to show people that it’s ok to be afraid and have anxiety over things and to be depressed, because we all feel those things for different reasons. We’re all human with human emotions and life keeps going and things get better. Being angry, or hurt, or happy, or anxious, none of it is bad, and we shouldn’t feel sorry for any of it.
There are some days that I want to share pages and pages of my emotions. To rant over something stupid, or to gush over an equally silly thing. There are times that I’m so proud of myself that I can’t contain it, and there are other times were I feel I can’t fall any lower. And there are other days where the last thing I want to do is talk to someone, or sit in front of the computer typing at my keyboard.
In those moments I make the choice that makes me feel ok, because until I’m ok I can’t help anyone else. I feel I am meant to write, that writing is one of the ways I can help people. But I don’t feel like I am obligated to do it.
I am obligated to myself first and foremost. I am obligated to feel fulfilled and to be at peace with my actions. Sometimes, most of the time, writing is part of that, but there are time where solitude and silence are more important, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing or a failing. To me, it’s a balance.
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Thank you so much for sharing that. I tend to be very hard on myself, pushing myself to give as much as I possibly can at any given moment. But finding time to rest, heal, and love myself (especially in such a cruddy time) is so essential. This is a reminder I constantly need.
“I feel I am meant to write, that writing is one of the ways I can help people. But I don’t feel like I am obligated to do it…. There are times where solitude and silence are more important, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing or a failing.” –Love that! Thank you 🙂
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