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Tag: inspiration

How Beautiful on the Mountain

Tracey Dyck 10 Comments

[Graphic mine; image via Unsplash]

Merry Christmas, my friends!

This time of year likes to sneak up on me, even though I should see it coming. (Y’know, it’s not like it lands on December 25th every single year.) Now that I’m on Christmas break and can forget about college for a couple of weeks, I’ve been basking in a quieter pace at home with my family. Somehow the rushing around to mail off Christmas letters and pick up the last few gifts doesn’t feel all that crazy when there are no more textbooks to study.

Something I’ve been doing in my quiet time with God is read a series of verses picked out for Advent. My Bible has a convenient list of suggested readings, and it’s only a verse or two each day, so I get to camp out on each one for a while.

Several days ago, this was the day’s passage. It’s something I’ve read plenty of times before, but it stuck out in a new way to me.

Ah, how beautiful the feet of those on the mountain who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation, the voice that calls to Zion, that chosen place for God’s promise people, announcing to them, “Your God rules!” (Isaiah 52:7, The Voice translation)

What are you declaring?

I want my whole life to proclaim the good news of victory, peace, and liberation that’s found in Jesus. In December we sing, “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.” But where have I been telling it? And what have I been telling?

Do people hear God’s love when I’m standing in line at the mall? Chatting with friends on Instagram? Speaking to family and relatives?

Everywhere we go, our words, demeanor, and actions are a package deal. Together, they’re communicating something twenty-four seven. So what are we saying?

Are we communicating stress with our frazzled tone and frantic pace? Are we sharing frustration and discord with our snappish replies?

Or could we perhaps slow down long enough to reconnect to peace–to the source of it, our Prince of Peace–and let our lives sing out a refrain of victory?

I get it. It’s hard to do when all month, our to-do lists have grown longer instead of shorter. It’s hard when polarizing family members are placed in the same room and expected to get along. It’s hard when a loved one is in the hospital. It’s hard when bills are stacked on the counter and the boxes under the tree number fewer than you wish. It’s hard when you’re picking up the slack for others going through crises, or you’re sifting through difficult memories of Christmases past, or things just aren’t falling into place.

Those things are real. They hurt, and they’re hard. But the Prince of Peace came for you, too. And the beautiful thing is that by welcoming Him into your brokenness, you let His light shine through to everyone around you. They will see the peace you carry amidst the darkness. Ah, what wonder. A small and humble miracle. A declaration of good news proclaimed from the mountain for all to hear.

Merry Christmas, friends. May this peace envelop your hearts no matter what is surrounding your life today.

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Dust & Clay

Tracey Dyck 20 Comments
Photo by Paul Robert on Unsplash // Graphics mine

On the days you feel lifeless
Hopeless
Breathless

You are more.

When all you hold is dust
Sand
Ash

There is more.

When your mind whispers lies
And the mirror tells you lies
And the world screams lies

Look for more.

Still, Eternal One, You are our Father.

We are just clay, and You are the potter.

We are the product of Your creative action, shaped and formed into something of worth.

Isaiah 64:8 (The Voice)

Clay is common. It’s dirt. It’s walked on, buried, and disregarded. It’s worthless.

But the moment an artist scoops clay onto the potter’s wheel and shapes it into something, that clay is imbued with value. Someone with expertise and creative vision has turned it into a work of art, and the artist’s fingerprints are all over it. It has become a beautiful expression of the creator’s heart.

It matters.

One day the Eternal God scooped dirt out of the ground,

sculpted it into the shape we call human,

breathed the breath that gives life into the nostrils of the human,

and the human became a living soul.”

Genesis 2:7 (The Voice)

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash
You are not worth anything based on what you are made of. You are worth something based on who made you. The Artist’s signature on your soul is living proof. The breath in your lungs–which isn’t yours–is proof.

I am dust

You are God

I am breathless

Till You fill my lungs

–Dust, Steffany Gretzinger

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I feel dusty sometimes. No matter how hard I try, my earthiness persists. I would rather be a vessel of polished marble or wondrous crystal, but instead I am a jar of clay. Yet I am worth more than a marble vase created by an amateur sculptor, because I was crafted by an expert artisan, and somehow He saw fit to place the treasure of His life within me.

But this beautiful treasure is contained in us–cracked pots made of earth and clay–so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.

…So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day.

2 Corinthians 4:7 & 16 (The Voice)

Breathe life today, friend. Walk through the dust and keep your chin up, because you are made worthy. You are an exclusive art exhibit on display in this world, authenticated by the Artist’s unmistakeable touch.
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When an Overachiever Rebels – a brain dump

Tracey Dyck 18 Comments
You ready for a brain dump?
Sometimes plans change.
Last week I gave you all an update on The Brightest Thread’s editing progress, which was not nearly as far as I had planned. See, I seem to think I’m Wonder Woman, and I plan accordingly. A few months ago, while finishing up my second semester at business school, I sketched out big summer editing plans.
  1. Finish compiling feedback from my beta readers before exams
  2. Edit this entire novel before school starts again in September
  3. In fact, get as much of TBT edited as possible before Realm Makers in mid-July
Ha! It’s only the beginning of June, but things are already off track. Step 1 was finished a month after exams. And steps 2-3 are well on their way to . . . not being completed, at least not under that timeline. I am, after all, still plunking away at chapter one. And there are thirty more chapters to go, some of them gnarlier than others. (Hey, if gnarly is a word, then why can’t gnarlier be one too, hmm?)

“But what’s the big deal?” you might be wondering. “Just adjust your goals.”

The Big Deal is that my brain is a giant, whirring to-do list. Doing, achieving, and checking off boxes is hardwired into my thought process. My personality just likes progress! While some people need to work up the will to get moving, I have to consciously rein myself back so that I STOP now and then. (Neither temperament is good or bad–it’s just how we operate.)

This all means that backing off from an unrealistic goal usually feels more like admitting defeat than, um, being smart.

Now, I am starting to get better at adjusting my goals. I’m slowly learning how to pace myself so that I don’t burn out so often. In the past few weeks, as I’ve watched the Goal Train pull far, far ahead of me until all I could make out was a tiny caboose, I had to pause and re-evaluate. Want to hear how that conversation with myself went? (The correct answer is yes, of course you do, and no, you don’t have anything better to do at the moment like eat peanut butter or clean your room or rule the world.)
* * *

Me: So. Those editing goals we made? Yeah, we’re awfully behind.


Also Me: Shush. We’re fine.

Me: No, I mean one-third of our summer vacation is OVER. That means we should be at least ten chapters into The Brightest Thread revisions.

Also Me: Right, and we’re perfectly–

Me: NO. THERE IS NO “PERFECTLY” ANYTHING. WE ARE STILL STUCK ON CHAPTER ONE.

Also Me: *is stressed*

Also Me: Okay. So let’s do something about that. Let’s make plans to work really, really hard the rest of June and all of July and August, and we can still make this happen.

Me: Oh, great, so I guess all we’ll do is eat, sleep, edit, and go to work. It’s not like we have an actual family or friends or–good heavens–a social life. Or a blog, or books to read so that the creative well doesn’t dry up, or movies we want to see, or places we want to go, or even a summer we want to live.

from my recent road trip adventures
Also Me: WELL THEN WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?

Me: Let’s trash the goals.

Also Me: . . .

Also Me: Did you just hear yourself?

Me: I should hope so, because you and I are the same person and we are carrying on a conversation. (Wonder which one of us is Sméagol?)

Also Me: We never scrap the goals. Never.

Me: I know. And that’s why you’re tired.

Also Me: But sometimes you have to push on even when you’re tired so that you build stamina. What about learning how to write fast and write even when you don’t feel like it? That’s what real authors do under contract! You do want a publishing deal one day, right?

Me: Calm down. You are doing just fine. Look, you wrote Mirrors Never Lie with full college classes and part-time shifts going on at the same time. You expanded The Brightest Thread into a novel last summer. You’ve written under deadline for a bunch of contests, and for even more self-imposed deadlines. You did the 100-for-100 challenge two summers ago. You know how to put your butt in the chair and fingers on the keyboard and write, and you’ll just keep getting better at it. Choosing to slow down doesn’t mean you’re failing.

Also Me: Yeah, yeah, okay. But does this mean we have to break up TBT edits into two chunks? Leave it for eight months while we go back to school, and then come back to it next summer to finish? This will create so much extra work.

Me: But missing out on people and life in favor of meeting a goal kind of sucks. So I propose that we trash the goals, take the pressure off, and just see what happens. Let’s make time for the important people in life, live in the moment, and really give TBT the time and care it needs rather than rush through a slapdash round of revisions.

Also Me: That sounds . . . kind of relieving. But what about Realm Makers? You’re pitching TBT there! They say “complete manuscripts only!”

Me: TBT is complete. We’re just improving it.

Also Me: But–

Me: Besides, you know how slowly the publishing business moves. Don’t borrow troubles that don’t exist yet.

Also Me: *sigh* Fine. I surrender. And who knows? With this new non-plan of no pressure, we might end up being more productive.

Me: Maybe. But don’t push it.

* * *
also from the road trip
So that’s my roundabout way of saying that I kicked my goals to the side and decided to keep a more balanced pace this summer. After two years of almost non-stop movement, I need a break. It’s tough to admit it. After finally coming to grips with the fact that I wouldn’t get much writing done at all during college this past year, I clung to the hope that I had all summer to write/edit as I pleased. What I didn’t anticipate was the leftover fatigue. But you know what? Time and freedom and careful pondering are what my novel needs right now.
And I think The Brightest Thread will turn out better for it.

I still find myself looking over at those crumpled goals lying in the corner, wondering if maybe I’m being weak or undisciplined for putting them aside. But deep down, I know I’m not. I know this is another lesson in living the best possible life, a life in which I can work and play and be without guilt.

What about you? I know this felt like a “me, me, me” kind of post, but hopefully it was encouraging–especially for those of you who might be in a similar spot right now. (The humor of this post being published kind of late is not lost on me.) So tell me, how do you know when it’s time to ease up and relax?



P.S. You may be wondering what’s happened to this year’s Silmarillion Awards. Never fear, they are still on the schedule! But we have elected to bump them a little bit later in the year, for reasons that Jenelle Schmidt so wonderfully explains HERE.

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Don’t Leave Change to Chance

Tracey Dyck 31 Comments
[image mine; edited with Portra and BeFunky]

I attended a college graduation this week. It was strange to see a new batch of students on the very stage on which I stood a year ago!

For the more recent readers here, my post-high school life thus far looks like this:

  • Spent a year looking for a job
  • Found a retail position and just worked for a year
  • Went to the aforementioned college (while still working part-time on the side) where I completed a nine-month program that focuses on building leaders who are strong in their faith and also successful in the business world
  • And most recently, completed my first year of a business diploma (yep, still working in the meantime)

Anyway, life progression aside, seeing a new class graduate made me realize how fast time moves! Something the valedictorian said in her speech stuck out to me:

“Don’t leave change to chance.”

Something like this leadership program is only as valuable as the effort a student puts into it. Simply attending won’t do a blessed thing. The same goes for a multitude of other opportunities for learning. A powerful book, a thought-provoking blog post, the wisdom of a mentor, a challenge before you, a mind-numbing job, a sandpaper person*, an informative class. All of these have the potential to mold you, change you, and catapult you to a higher level of life, but only if you do your part.

*None of us shall name names, but we all know these individuals–abrasive, prickly, uncomfortable-to-be-around people whose role in your life is to smooth your rough edges.

What is our part?

We are constantly processing information. I don’t know enough science to go into the cognitive details, but your brain filters a CRAZY amount of data all the time. You discard what is unimportant, routine, and involuntary in order to function, since your focus is incredibly narrow. How does a magician fool an audience? Misdirection. If you’re watching one hand wave the scarf over here, you won’t see the other hand reach for the card over there. It takes concentrated effort to ignore the flashy new things your brain deems as “important” in order to focus on a crucial but mundane detail.

How often do you read or hear something and think, “Wow, that was good. I need to remember that.” And then . . . don’t? Yeah, me too. I don’t even remember what I had for lunch yesterday. It wasn’t important.

Okay, so what am I getting at? We’ve covered grads, brains, and magicians, oh my!

The point is this. You want to change. So do I. But we leave transformation to chance most of the time. We sit around waiting for a golden key to fall into our lap, for Gandalf to knock on our door, for someone to invent a USB port in the back of our skulls so that we can download new skills. But it doesn’t work that way.

Proverbs 2 talks about pursuing wisdom (personified throughout the book as a woman), and it uses a lot of action verbs.

  • Accept what I am telling you
  • Store my counsel deep within you
  • Listen for Lady Wisdom
  • Attune your ears to her
  • Engage your mind
  • Cry out for insight
  • Beg for understanding
  • Sift through the clamor of everything around you
  • Seek wisdom
  • Search for it
  • Grasp what it means
  • Discover knowledge

And here’s what this wisdom will do for you.

With this wisdom you will be able to choose the right road, seek justice, and decide what is good and fair because wisdom will penetrate deep within and knowledge will become a good friend to your soul. (Proverbs 2: 9-10, the Voice translation)

 It goes on to say that sound judgment will stand guard over you, and wisdom will keep you away from wrong paths. I don’t know about you, but I could use a good dose of wisdom in my life. But it won’t come to me by chance. Neither will true change.

This is our part: to take responsibility for our own growth, to seek wisdom, to listen, to reflect, to apply.

Start small. To think of changing your entire life from the ground up is overwhelming. Instead, pick one habit to replace. When you’re studying, pick out one thing you can apply right now. When you step into an environment that encourages change, use it. Seek, store, discover. Sift through the clamor. Fall in love with change. Fall in love with the pursuit of wisdom. Involve God on the journey, too. He gives wisdom without finding fault in you.

It’s been said that the clearest memories are made by repetition or strong emotion. Once you’ve grasped a nugget of wisdom, don’t let it go! Find ways to repeat it to yourself, whether it’s leaving notes around the house or setting a reminder on your phone or learning the discipline of reflection. Attach emotions to it if you can. Envision what your life could be like if you applied that little lesson; paint the most vivid picture you can.

And then act. The quickest way to get something from your head to your heart is to start moving your hands and feet.

What’s something small you want to change this week? Don’t leave it to chance.

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