A Grateful Heart

by Tracy Crump

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

Rain streaked down the taxi windows as I sat in the back seat waiting for the driver. I was exhausted from flying 700 miles by myself to attend a writers conference. Now a mix-up with airport transportation presented one more confirmation that I should have stayed home. What was I thinking to make this trip on my own?

Then I remembered the unusual sequence of events that brought me to this place: receiving an unsolicited card advertising a writers conference; expecting to be short on finances but finding almost the exact amount needed tucked away in a drawer; getting a last-minute airline special. God had met each need long before I arrived at the conference. My heart swelled with gratitude. By the time the driver climbed into the front seat, I felt at peace.

God doesn’t promise to grant our every writing desire, but He does promise peace that will guard our hearts and minds through every aspect of the writing process. Yet how often do we hand God a laundry list of requests with no thought of thanks for what He will accomplish or what He has done already? We don’t have to know how God will work things out. It’s enough to know He will. For that, we can show gratitude even before the query letter leaves our hands or the book proposal nears completion.

Anxiety over what direction to take with my writing often immobilizes me. I wonder how that would change if I thanked God beforehand for what He’ll do. The resultant peace alone might be enough to give new life to my endeavors.

True peace comes when a grateful heart rests securely in God’s hands.

PRAYER: Father, thank you in advance for your peace which means more than any success writing could offer.

As co-director of Write Life Workshops, Tracy Crump conducts workshops and webinars that encourage others to “Write Better, Write Now!” Storytelling is her specialty, as evidenced by her many stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and other anthologies. She edits The Write Life, a free e-newsletter with story callouts, and her love of teaching takes her to conferences where she helps writers hone their craft.

Tracy’s articles and devotionals have appeared in national magazines, such as Focus on the Family, ParentLife, Mature Living, and Light & Life. Her story was chosen as a finalist in the 2016 Southern Writers Magazine Short Story Contest. But her most important job is Grandma to little Nellie. Visit Tracy at www.TracyCrump.com or www.WriteLifeWorkshops.com.