I’m knee-deep in edits on my novel right now. I’ve written, re-written, had it critiqued, swapped with another author, and am still editing. It’s a tedious, detail-oriented process. Writing and brainstorming a story is this life-giving, full-of-possibilities process for me. Then I hit editing and just want to have my story be good enough!
But as I was running the other day, I was thinking about how editing my story is such a metaphor for life. Without editing my novel, it’ll never really be good enough for anyone to read, much less published. It’s in the details, the small corrections, that my story can emerge the way I want it to be read. This past summer has been an interesting season for me. It’s been one of those times in my life that God has done what I call “pruning” me. (Caveat: I am not a theologian, I’m just a regular Bible-believing girl over here, so these are just my experiences). But, I feel like I’ve been editing my life a bit lately. I’ve been introspective, learning how I’m wired and attempting to lean into the Lord through all of my trials, experiences, emotions, and thought-processes. I can’t honestly say I enjoy that process because it’s hard. However, I feel like I’m almost to the other side. I feel like I’ve learned and grown and become stronger. More importantly, I am closer to the Lord as a result of this time of pruning. So I’m thankful for the time of pruning and what the Lord’s show me.
My conclusion? Sometimes I just have to push through—I need to persevere on my edits so my book is all it can be, and I need to keep moving forward as the Lord prunes me and allows me to grow. Lord willing, my life will reflect a better version after the time of pruning, and so will my book!