I’m a writer, but if I always waited for inspiration to motivate me to write, I wouldn’t get much written because there are lots of other things I enjoy doing. Not always, but as a general rule, writing for me is only about five percent inspiration. The rest is 25 percent discipline and 70 percent perspiration or hard work. I think every writer, from time to time, struggles with a writer’s block, but you have to keep on writing when it’s your work.

When I thought about writing a book some years ago, it seemed like a daunting task, but when a friend suggested that I think of writing just one page at a time, I thought to myself, yeah, I can handle that.

When people ask me if I love writing, I usually answer by saying, “I love having written.” I do like to communicate ideas, however, and writing is one way to do that. Teaching in person is a lot more fun for me, but writing has proven to be more effective especially with today’s electronic means of communication.

Life’s like this. Obviously not everybody is called to write, but we are all called to do that which we are equipped to do. There’s a company where I live that is called Instant Grassification. It’s a clever name for installing instant lawns. But for achieving something worthwhile in life means having a clearly defined life purpose and then discipline, hard work, and determination to hang in for the long haul—and to “keep on sowing our seed,” and never giving up. There is no such thing as instant success.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know what my God-given life purpose is and, with your help, to keep on keeping on so that when I get to the end of life’s journey I will hear your welcoming words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB)(NLT).