Author Marian P. Merritt on Obedience

When God called me to write for the Christian market in 2003, I dove in headfirst. I was on a mission

to learn as much as I could and write as much as possible. I knew it was his call and I never questioned His direction.

Until.

He asked me to stop writing in 2008 after moving me away from many Christian writing friends, an awesome group of Bible study partners, and a faithful critique group.

What? How could that be? I’m serving YOU Lord. I’d written two novels and a novella that had yet to be published. Why would He ask me to quit? That would be giving up. Quitting. I’d be walking away. I couldn’t do that. That’s not what a warrior does. Why would He ask this of me? And why would He take me away from so many Christian friends who were supportive of my writing?

At this point, I had to closely examine my obedience to Him. Sure, I had no problem being obedient when it was something I wanted to do, but now He was asking me to give up the thing I loved. He’d sent me to a very remote area. Another thing I questioned. When I took a job working full time, writing continued to consume my thoughts.

Reluctantly, I laid down the writing. Walked away. Quit. I felt like a loser.

Until.

He answered one of my burning questions. Why would You move me away from the large network of Christian friends and writers? His answer: So you can rely solely on ME.

His answer showed me that my focus needed to change. Writing for Him is different than writing from Him. My writing time consisted of plotting and planning every action of my characters and carefully orchestrating their responses to the story action. While I claimed to be writing for God, I had yet to invite God to write with me. I had yet to rely on the Holy Spirit for the story and the characters.

Being away from writing allowed me a bird’s eye view of how I’d gotten caught up in the writing world of chasing publication. The revelation was humbling. It also allowed me the opportunity to rely on Him in situations that revolved around people who weren’t Christians.  

God moved in many ways in my life during that time away from writing. He showed me about trust and true obedience. When I finally accepted, areas of my faith deepened. I learned so much about praying for others, relying on what God says, not other’s interpretation of what God said, and listening to Him minus the veil of my desires.

Years went by and one day I realized, while I missed writing, it didn’t have the stronghold on me that it had before.

In January of 2012, the quiet voice I’d been waiting to hear for 5 long years returned. “It’s time to start writing again.”

Less than a week later, I received an email stating that a publisher was looking for Christmas Stories. The novella I’d written all those years ago was a Christmas story that had been rejected by another publisher. I sent it in. It was accepted a few months later and published that same year. Most of you know nothing in the publication world works that quickly. But this did.

Once I’d truly let go and truly been obedient, things changed—both in me and in my attitude toward writing. Writing wasn’t the all-gripping thing that I needed to work at every waking hour, it wasn’t what defined me as an obedient daughter, and it wasn’t what connected me to friends.

I believe the contract was God’s timing and also His way of showing me, He had this all along. And He still does.

The character in my latest release, THE VIGIL, is learning these same lessons!

Here’s the blurb:

Cheryl Broussard made two vows: She'd never fall for an abusive man, and she'd never return to her Louisiana hometown. But she's learned all too well the lesson of never-say-never. Now, back in Bijou Bayou after fleeing from an abusive boyfriend, Cheryl finds work as a Hospice nurse. While reading a dying patient's Korean War love letters, family secrets shatter Cheryl's beliefs about her family and herself and shed light on the reason she fled her hometown. When the Broussard family secrets are revealed, can Cheryl deal with the truth and accept the blessing of a second chance for relationships with her family, old friends, and with the God she never really knew?

Marian Pellegrin Merritt writes stories that blend her love of the mountains with her deep Southern roots. Her tagline, Where the Bayous Meets the Mountains, grew from both loves. She is the author of, Deep Freeze Christmas, A Cajun Christmas Miracle, and Southern Fried Christmas.

Her latest release, a Women’s Fiction novel, The Vigil, can be purchased at online retailers.

Marian is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Women's Fiction Writers Association.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy and an accounting certificate from the University of South Alabama. This Louisiana native writes from the Northwest Colorado home she shares with her husband and a very spoiled Labradoodle.

Learn more about Marian on her website and her blog, or connect with her on Facebook, the Facebook Reader's Group, or Twitter.

Link to Marian's Books.

Thanks for allowing me to share with your readers today on the Borrowed Book Blog!