Write to the Heart

I sometimes think the apostle Paul needed a good editor. He was the champion of verbosity and the run-on sentence. Yet Paul always wrote with sincerity, purpose, imagery, and a desire to touch the human heart. Following his conversion, his life goal was not only to share the Good News of salvation and eternal life, but also to encourage Christians to live an abundant life on earth.

While many writers can meet deadlines and get words that make sense on paper, Paul understood the need to do more—to touch the hearts of his readers. There is much to learn about writing to readers’ hearts from Paul's words in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 3.

The personal touch

Paul employed a very important concept in his writings to the church at Corinth—he wrote on a personal level. He avoided sounding scholarly or pious and connected directly with his readers by being vulnerable and transparent. In one passage of scripture, Paul refers to himself as "the worst of sinners," thus admitting his unworthiness except through God's grace. Readers identify with authors who share their own personal struggles and experiences. Paul appealed to the emotions of his readers with phrases like “you yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts.” He knew how to make people feel special and important. He shared from his heart and let his readers know how much he cared about them.

Paint a word picture

Jesus often used parables to reach the hearts of his listeners. Likewise, Paul knew that people understand a concept better if they can visualize it in concrete terms that relate to a familiar everyday experience. Paul recognized the significance of using imagery in his writings. Paul also had a thorough knowledge of history and law and wove all of these elements together to provide an interesting chronicle. Writing that paints a mental picture captures the attention of readers and indelibly etches truth on their hearts.

Write to their hearts

Paul's reference to writing on tablets of stone conjures up visions of a bearded figure in furs, slowing chiseling symbols with a hammer and awl on a flat rock, or the film version of Moses coming down the mountain with the Ten Commandments on heavy stone tablets. Either picture highlights the cold rigidity of stone. The contrast between the hardness of stone and the tenderness of the heart is graphic. Appealing to and touching the hearts of believers or stone-hearted nonbelievers is always a challenge for any writer. Especially when writing to the wounded, confused, and hurting, our message must be one of comfort and grace rather than harsh legalism and chastisement. Writing to the heart involves looking with compassion on the needs of others and showing them a loving Father with your words.

Never forget your source

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul mentions letters of recommendation. It was customary in his time for those traveling on a mission from one location to another to carry letters of introduction or recommendation to substantiate their authority or gain acceptance or backing for a project. The verses in Chapter 3 gained new meaning for me during the time my coauthor and I were attempting to gather endorsements and a foreword writer for our book. At one point, we realized we were so obsessed with getting our request before a particular high-profile individual that we were totally overlooking God's authority and provision.

As I read the words, "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?" I realized we were working in our own strength, trying to force something to happen. In a moment of revelation, the Lord quietly wrote these words on my heart, "I gave you my blessing from the inception of this book. What more endorsement do you need?" Verse 5 showed me the futility of my own attempts, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence come from God." I was reminded that, although I have talent, he is the source for every idea and every word I write. I can't take credit for any of it. If my writing touches the hearts of others, to Him be all the glory.

Write with confidence

As Christian writers, we can have confidence in what we write because “you show that you are a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God…such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.” If our words are God-ordained, they will be powerful and effective because God's word never returns void. There is something incredibly freeing about trusting our words to the Spirit's inspiration rather than feeling we have to come up with just the right phrasing in our own power.

I once heard fiction author Karen Kingsbury say there are many times when she feels as if she is taking dictation directly from God as she writes. What an incredible gift to be so attuned to the Spirit's voice that He pours his words through you!

View writing as ministry

As Christian writers, we are "ministers of the new covenant." Writing is a ministry because it often involves time and effort with little compensation – at least in worldly terms. But there is certainly the reward of knowing that our words touch lives and write truth on the hearts of our readers. There is great freedom and fulfillment in being Spirit-inspired and directed. This freedom may even lead you to take risks in writing with a Christian voice in secular publications. There are many opportunities to minister to a hurting world. Enjoy the liberty of writing as the Spirit leads and watch as hearts are touched and changed.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Candy Arrington http://www.candyarrington.com is a contributing writer for Focus on the Family’s Focus on Your Child parenting publications. Additionally, her publishing credits include: Marriage Partnership, Today’s Christian, The Upper Room, Christian Home & School, Encounter, Discipleship Journal, War Cry, The Lookout, Deacon, Christian Communicator, Advanced Christian Writer, CBN.com, and Writer’s Digest. Candy is co-author of AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide (B & H Publishing Group) and is on staff with The Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service.

Comments

[Lorie]

Thank you for this post, I was really hesitate at first to start a blog and just share from my heart and even more so from the depths of my soul. I never felt I was qualified as other writers because I was not good at editing and all that goes along writing. Yet the songs and poetry the Lord planted in my soul finally had a chance to not only take on life but touch lives as the Lord gave me the boldness step out in faith and share it. His words to me one day was.. Lorie you share it and I will bless it, the only proof reader you need will be the holy spirit, those who I send to read it will read it from there heart, and I did, and he continues to bless it today. I continue to write from my heart and I know the Lord is my number one fan *U* God Bless Lorie