#Trust30: Alternative Paths

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Taped to my computer monitor is a Chinese fortune I received a number of years ago now, back when I was toiling as a worker drone: “You will live the life that makes all others not envious, but proud of you.” Those words dug a foxhole in my psyche and have held their position ever since.

When I first read that fortune, I was not living a life I was proud of. I wasn’t writing. I’d named and claimed writer’s block for so many years that my family and friends had given up on me ever writing anything beyond a thank-you note – and even that was iffy. I was well on my way to letting my talent wither and die within me, leaving only the empty husk of what might have been.

Those words on that tiny slip of paper shamed and inspired me at the same time. I taped them a few inches to the right of the Dell logo on my monitor, where I knew I would see them every day. And I started to change my life.

I have been looking for alternative paths now for several years. Even when the path ahead of me is clear, I stop and consider what other options I might have. I could have continued to submit my manuscripts to agents – I’d had some encouragement in that direction, albeit not as much as I’d wished. I changed course and self-published. I could have spent all my time on social media tooting my own horn in an attempt to get noticed, but I was just one more voice in the cacophony of the internet. Instead, I became a voice of encouragement and support for other indie authors. Because I turned in that direction, I found an e-publisher who loves my work and encourages me every step of the way.

I continue to search out new paths on a daily basis. Though it is sometimes challenging, I try to never close my mind to the possibilities of the universe. After all, sometimes the messages God is trying to send arrive with the bill in a Chinese restaurant.

#Trust30: Your Personal Message

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The #Trust30 project and a Book Junkie’s idea are conspiring with one another. Today's #Trust30 prompt is:

“What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?”

One of my Book Junkie compatriots announced yesterday that he would be reading all of my published work and evaluating the oeuvre rather than the pieces.

All of which leads to this question: what message have I been trying to send with my work? I believe I know the answer.

Life is a precious gift. Too often, we allow others to hijack this gift and use it for their own purposes. Only by taking control of our lives can we truly experience happiness – and only then do we make the Giver of Life truly proud.

#Trust30: One Strong Belief

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I am a Christian. And I’m a liberal.

According to the world at large, these two stances are mutually exclusive. Christians in the media are portrayed as small-minded bigots who have an unrelenting need to tell the rest of the world what they are doing wrong. On the other hand, liberals are portrayed as free-wheeling, possibly drug-addled hippies who just want everyone to do their own thing.

The “religious right” – it’s a great alliteration, isn’t it? But “religious” doesn’t mean the same thing as “Christian,” no matter how the pundits spin it. All people who believe in any deity are religious, not just Christians. In fact, most people who don’t believe in any god at all are religious about something – maybe they are scrupulously and conscientiously faithful in washing their hands after using the toilet. That’s a religious behavior. And, of course, just because we call conservatives “right” doesn’t mean they are. In fact, from what I see on the nightly news, they are what Christians are accused of being. One might say they are “religious” about being “right.”

I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and the sins of anyone else who wants to believe in Him – that’s the essence of free will. I believe that He would want me to live my life as an example to others – that’s the Golden Rule. Hatred and bigotry were not in Jesus’ personality, and those characteristics shouldn’t be found in Christians. As Christians, we are called to love everyone, even those we would call sinners, because He loved everyone. Romans 2:1 says it best: You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

I also believe that everyone, regardless of how their opinions differ with mine, should be allowed to live their lives and speak their minds without fear of repression or violence. This is the foundation of liberalism: freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly.

I am a liberal Christian – and that’s not an oxymoron.