When writing feels like a chore… 😫
Here’s how I rediscovered joy in the work 👉
Does a blank page fill you with excitement or dread? Do you still write because you want to, or have you lost your enthusiasm? Maybe you experience joy when you first sit down to write, but that spark quickly fizzles out when the words don’t flow like you expected them to.
Even when we see our writing as a ministry or a calling, we sometimes question if our crafting of words really matters. It’s so much work, and we wonder if it’s worthwhile. If writing ever feels harder than it should be, or if you’ve lost the joy you once had when you put a pen to paper, this is for you.
A New Perspective
Each four-hour shift for my first job at a pizza kiosk felt like a bleak eternity. After weeks of dragging myself through my duties, a customer pulled me aside to thank me for my bright smile. She said I had “made her day”. How I achieved that is still a mystery to me three decades later, but her comment actually changed my life. That day, I realized that even the most mundane work can make a difference.
I wanted the difference I made to matter for eternity. I wanted my work to bring glory to God (Colossians 3:17). So, from that day on, I prayed on my way to each shift that God would use me to bring “salt and light” into my small corner of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). For four hours each weeknight, I anticipated what God might do as I grated mozzarella, chopped onions, and sliced mushrooms. And daily, God provided endless opportunities to encourage others, bless my boss, and serve the Lord through my work. I considered myself a missionary instead of a pizza-maker. Surprisingly, that menial job became exciting to me.
That experience laid the foundation for a lifetime adventure of discovering ways to glorify God in my work (1 Corinthians 10:31). Whether it involves laundry or lawn-mowing, serving customers or schooling kids, running errands or writing, I can work with joy and find it fulfilling when I view it as an act of worship.
3 Ways to View Writing as Worship
When writing is a struggle, a new perspective can restore our motivation and renew our sense of purpose. As Christian writers, we can think of ourselves as scribes, stewards, and servants.
A Scribe With a Specific Message
Consider the scribes of old. Historically, they were responsible for copying and preserving important documents, including sacred texts. In biblical times, Jewish scribes were both record-keepers and interpreters of the Law. (See Jeremiah 36 for an inspiring example.) Today, Christian writers are like modern scribes, recording and conveying truth. Just as ancient scribes carefully preserved God’s Word, we must be faithful to write the message God gives to us.
Recognizing the unique message God has equipped you to write can renew your sense of purpose. Reflect on your personal experiences and insights. What biblical truths are you uniquely equipped to communicate and preserve?
A Steward With a Gift to Manage
Ultimately, all that we have belongs to God (1 Corinthians 4:7). The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30) illustrates that we are stewards, responsible for managing what God has entrusted to us, including our time, talent, and “treasure” (or resources). If we believe God has entrusted us with a message to share, if our writing is a gift from God, we must consider what faithful stewardship of our words involves.
How can you prioritize writing alongside your other responsibilities? Maybe you need to schedule dedicated writing time—actually create an appointment on the calendar—to make it happen. Or perhaps it’s time to invest in tools, education, and community to improve your writing skills. Pray about it and ask God what faithful stewardship looks like in this season.
A Servant With a Precious Offering
As Christians, we’re called to lives of service—serving God and serving others (Mark 10:45). When we write as an act of faithful stewardship, we write to serve God. Similarly, when we write in response to God’s grace in our lives, our writing becomes an act of worship instead of a burdensome task.
Writing with a servant’s heart spurs us to become better writers, to practice and develop more effective communication skills, and to discover the best ways to connect with our readers (e.g., writing in different formats or on different platforms). When we write with a heart to serve, we can focus on impact instead of personal gain, trusting God to fulfill his purposes for our words, even when we don’t see immediate results.
Embrace Your Roles as a Writer
My pizza job became a joy to me, not because the work changed, but because my perspective did. I had a different purpose—I started showing up for God’s glory instead of my own comfort. The same can happen for us as we pursue the hard work of writing, approaching it as a scribe with a message, the steward of a gift, and a servant offering worship.
Even when your words don’t flow easily, even when it’s hard to make time for it, even when it feels fruitless, keep writing. Write as an act of worship—offering your words to God—and trust that even the simplest sentence, written in faith and obedience, can glorify God and matter for eternity.
What practical steps can you take to more fully embrace your roles as a scribe, steward, and servant this month?
Books Are Missionaries | Devin Maddox
“I believe every Christian testimony has a bibliography attached.” Which books would you include in the bibliography of your life?
Sabbath for the Creative Soul: Writing From Rest, Not Exhaustion | Grant Herbel
Sometimes less is more. I’m in a season of writing less, but it’s so that what I do write can have more value and my non-writing activities can be richer. Grant Herbel shares excellent thoughts on the vital role of rest in the life of a creative Christian: "I believe that the most significant shift happens when we move from writing about God to writing with Him."
One for the Substackers to Consider | Tim Challies
I think most Christians who write online pay attention when Tim Challies has something to say about writing-related things. He brings up a couple of valid points in this post.
Speaking of Substack, I wrote Is Substack Good for Christian Writers? My Review (2024) last year. At the time, I decided Substack wasn't for me, though I wholeheartedly recommend it for many other Christian writers. However, I'm experimenting with it again. This time, I have a completely different perspective—Instead of treating it as an email, I'm thinking of it more as a completely separate ecosystem that connects with a completely different segment of my audience. If you're not a Substack user, don't worry! You're not missing anything! I'm sharing the same content there as I do in this monthly email. I plan to try it for 6–12 months before re-evaluating.
The Calla Press Spring 2025 Literary Journal is now available for pre-order! This lovely printed journal features over 120 writers—including me!—and 342 pages of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, inviting readers to view all of life through the lens of wonder.
I asked fellow Christian writers: What Bible verse most encourages or influences you as a writer? And why?
Here are a few responses:
“Lamentations 3:24-25—‘The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.’ I repeat this Bible verse each week as I begin to scribble a rough draft of my next writing assignment—a sturdy reminder that my hope is anchored in the Lord, rather than potential outcomes, high fives, or man's praise. When the writing path grows difficult and the words land stilted and cold, I warm myself with Lamentations' truth: the Lord is my portion, my hope. I will seek and wait for him.”—Kristin Couch
“Psalm 105:4—'Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.'"—Alyson Jensen
“This year, my words to focus on are surrender and create. I can't create godly writing unless I am surrendered to Him. I have a page of Scriptures to rely on for this. One is Proverbs 16:3 NKJV, ‘Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.’"—Barbara Latta
"1 Corinthians 15:58—'Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.'"—Lauren Iseli
I want to know about you!
What Bible verse most encourages or influences you as a writer? Why?
Share your Scripture reference and the reason you chose it in the comments. (Feel free to include your name and a link to your website or blog.) NOTE: I may use your answer in a future blog post or newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Until next time, wield the word, my writing friends!
