Doing the Work/ Letting go of the Outcomes
I was out for a walk and thinking about the marketing of the books I have written. As a Christian author, the process of promoting yourself or your products feels a bit confusing. Is trying to sell more books wrong? Or is it part of my ministry to do the work to get these books into the hands of those who would benefit? It can feel like a bit of a tightrope. I have come to realize that if I know I have been called to minister to others who are grieving, then I also need to do the work involved in that ministry. And yes, it does involve selling books and seeking speaking engagements, in addition to the one on one support I am able to provide as God leads me to specific people who need comfort and encouragement in their heartbreak. I have been learning the value of doing the work, while letting go of the outcomes. I don't think God expects me to just sit around waiting for people to miraculously purchase books that were written to help them. He expects me to step up and complete the tasks he puts before me. And then trust him for the outcomes.
Oh dear! This can be such a pitfall for me! It's not so much the trust issue, but the control issue! I am one of those people who often tries to control my environment; manage what is happening around me, shape the outcomes. Partly who I am and partly the fallout from an abusive marriage many years ago. And so, as I am doing what God has put in front of me to do, I am reminded to stop trying to control what happens next. And you know, God's got my number on this. He sometimes gently prises the control out of my hands. There have definitely been times he has slapped my hands so that I drop my control like a hot poker! And many times that he simply walks beside me, waiting and letting me "DO IT MYSELF" until I come to the realization that I don't know what I'm doing and hand the control over to him. Oh, how intimately God knows us and loves us and uses us just as we are.
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By the way, one of the tasks put in front of me to do is to get Amazon reviews for "Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls". If you have purchased the devotional and would like to leave a review, you can do that here.
