July 28, 2021 It sometimes annoys me when he’s right and I’m wrong, but I’m not annoyed in these instances. This column is generally the last thing finished before I’m ready to send the North Country Catholic to the presses. It’s not uncommon for me to struggle developing an idea until the very last minute – usually Sunday morning (deadline is Sunday afternoon). On a recent weekend, my husband and son left the house for a while to give me time to write in solitude. As soon as they got home, my husband asked, “did you get everything done?” My response: “I did. I don’t love my column, though. Sometimes, I feel very connected to the idea and very passionate about it. Other times, I feel like I’m just filling the space. Today, I filled the space.” “Yet you’ll have two or three people email you, call you or write to you saying something you wrote was exactly what they needed to hear or saying it meant something to them.” My husband was right. The column I thought was a total dud elicited three email responses, all from people who related to it or took something from it. This scene has played out almost identically at least three or four times over the last couple years. It’s a beautiful reminder of how the Holy Spirit works. The ideas for these columns jump in my brain at random. I’ll be driving to work, cooking dinner or drying my hair, and a sentence or an idea will jump into my brain. Since I used all my best column ideas in the first six months I worked in this position, I can only attribute these ideas to the workings of the Holy Spirit. I’ve come to realize that the Holy Spirit is much better at this than I am. It’s ok if I don’t feel connected to a column. If I’m truly listening and going where God leads me with it, He’ll all the real work and make all the real connections. I’m really just the fingers on the keyboard. It’s a humbling reminder that it’s not about me, and it’s a beautiful reminder of how our Lord can work through us. And I’m not annoyed by that. |
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