A Thread of Hope

This past weekend I received one more “No” to add to my Rejection Collection. (sigh) It’s never easy to hear no when your dreams are attached to it, even though it was a very kind no, and it did offer a thread of hope. But on that day, the thread seemed awfully weak and appeared to be fraying. So, I moped around for a day; I told my critique partners about the rejection so they could commiserate with me and be my cheerleaders. I didn’t eat the box of chocolate I promised them I would, but I thought about it. 😉

And then the next day, it was time to move on. Time to research the other possibilities out there. Time to look closer at that thread of hope. You know, after I put it under the microscope, I decided it wasn’t so weak after all. It might even be made of Kevlar. So I grabbed onto that thread and followed it.

The end isn’t in sight yet. I don’t know if this thread will lead to more no’s or if it’ll finally bring me to that elusive Yes! But, regardless of where it leads, it motivates me to keep pressing on. Giving up isn’t an option. Writing is a gift God gave to me, and I have no intention of burying it. There are no guarantees I’ll ever receive the Yes! I think I want, but by investing in this gift, by grasping this thread of hope and placing one hand in front of the other to pull me along, I’m being obedient. Maybe that’s what this is all about in the first place.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13-14