One of the worst things I have to deal with as a writer is “writer’s block.”
When I sit down to write, and my mind goes completely blank.
I write a lot of things to share on social media.
There was one time where I had a scripture that I really wanted to post about, so I pulled out my phone to write a caption.
But……. As much as I loved the scripture and wanted to share it, my mind was completely blank for what to write.
I tried to think of personal stories, other perspectives I could add…
Nothing.
I looked at the time and realized I only had 5 minutes left before I needed to go somewhere.
Yet, I still couldn’t think of anything!
I quickly prayed.
“Heavenly Father, help me to be able to type this post while I have the time!”
I waited a bit.
And still, nothing.
I finally gave up and moved on to my next activity.
Honestly, I was a little frustrated that Heavenly Father hadn’t helped my brain focus when I needed it the most.
Fun fact, this particular event happened in the beginning of March 2020.
When I frustratedly put my phone away, unable to access divine power to blast away my writer’s block…
I had no idea what was going to happen over the next 48 hours.
That “sickness” I had vaguely heard about on the news, completely shut the world down.
The world had changed in an instant.
And that scripture that I couldn’t write a caption about?
It took on a totally new meaning. What I had thought about writing wouldn’t have even seemed relevant. The changes in the world gave me a perspective that allowed me to write a lot of my thoughts.
Many of us have learned:
“Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand.” (Jacob 4:10)
I was trying to “counsel the Lord” with my bad attitude about Him not ending my writer’s block.
I was getting frustrated that He wasn’t doing what I asked!
And yet, I was missing an opportunity to hear His real message to me.
Maybe He was trying to calm my heart and let me know that my writer’s block was a blessing that would make sense in a few days.
Maybe He was gently urging me to become more humble.
Maybe He was prompting me to move to a different task.
What messages might you and I be missing right now?
What answers are we waiting for so loudly that we unintentionally miss the Spirit’s calm voice?
“We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we (1) select a desired blessing, (2) insert the required sum of good works, and (3) the order is promptly delivered.” – D. Todd Christofferson
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
