This is Rita. Allow me to introduce a friend. Her name is Susan Walker, and she is a riot…about to happen. I’d love for you to meet her in person, but for now, just read.

When What You Want to Say Won’t.Come.Out

At least not in the way you want.

I feel like an author with a bad case of writer’s block – except I’ve barely written a thing.

I read blogs and think “I could do that”! Back when there were actual magazines, I subscribed to many of them, and always thought it looked so easy – I talk the same way they do, I could make my point and be funny, articulate, interesting – easy!

Notsomuch.

Here I sit with a perfectly good blank Word document right in front of me just waiting to be filled with all manner of wisdom, encouragement, thoughts to provoke people to think and grow. Annnnd crickets.

Part of my problem, and I own this, is continuity. I’ll have a great thought in my head and a paragraph or two in and I’m down a rabbit hole only to surface on a totally different thought. Connection is key, context is your friend.

I tell myself these things.

I’m not formally educated outside of a high school diploma, but have always been a voracious reader (thanks, Dad!) So an additional issue is probably grammar, or at the very least, punctuation.

I love commas and ellipses, in case you couldn’t tell….

Another part of my problem is just writing itself – these days it can be a combination of proper English language and text-speak. I’m old enough not to fall into the latter too much. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that by adding just two more letters ‘u’ would have an entire word. “You” should use them. “B4” I go too far, I think you get the picture.

Yet, I know just enough of the mechanics of the English language to be dangerous. I type the way I talk, and if there’s a pause in my sentence, hello comma.  Probably not the ‘correct’ way to punctuate….

I’m almost 60 years old, one would think I’d have something to say. My good Lord knows I’ve made (ok, more than) my fair share of mistakes, there should be something along those lines, right? I’ve also been a born-again follower of Christ for about 50 of those 60 years – surely somewhere along the way God’s given me a bit of wisdom to share, right?

Why won’t these things come out??

I’ve become pretty good at inserting my foot in my mouth, adept at ungodly responses. Thoughtless comments have spewed forth at the speed of light. Why can’t anything constructive make it’s way out?

I guess I’ll have to settle, for now, with the desire to write – something.

I haven’t prayed about it as much as I’ve thought about it, and that’s actually very telling. I know better than to do anything without prayer.

Colossians 4:2 says ‘Continue steadfastly in prayer…’

I know better.

So, going forward and praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) we’ll see what God leads me to say.

If He can’t get it out of me, no one can…….

Susan