Jesus' Shared Wisdom

18: Discouragement

Sometimes I feel discouraged to write this book. I think that my writing isn't worth that much, since not a lot of people read it. Perhaps it's due to the fact that it hasn't been ranked in any category, or that a new lesson hasn't been receiving many votes. Often when I look at the writings of other people, I become depressed since I think their lessons look like this:

And mine look like this:

However, when we worry about how many people are voting on our books, how highly ranked our book is on Wattpad, etc, we forget about why we are writing. Our main purpose for writing should be for Jesus and to share the Word of Jesus.

When this becomes our main purpose for writing, Jesus gives us an opportunity to trust in Him. We should use this opportunity to trust Jesus to share our book with those who truly need to read it. Our goal shouldn't be to obtain any numerical rewards or achievements, since that goal takes away from what it truly means to write for Jesus.

Don't become intimidated by the works of other people. No matter how professional or highly ranked their works are, remember that everyone falls short of Jesus's perfection and as a result, their works are worth a pile of filthy rags. Even still, Jesus loves these works equally and adores them, no matter how well-made or excellent they are. When you write with the intention of sharing the Word of Jesus, your works are as appreciated as a professional Christian author's books or a director's Christian movie.

Don't let the fact that you may not have many readers bring you down. Quality is valued over quantity when it comes to readers. Remember Jesus's miracle of the bread and fish. Thousands of people were in need of food, and Jesus provided for them. After this miracle, most of the people desired to make Jesus their king. They didn't focus on the undying love and grace of Jesus; instead the power He could give to them. Even though thousands of people had followed Jesus at this time, the quality of their faith was poor.

This can be applied to the desire of acquiring more readers. Would you like thousands upon thousands of readers who clicked the "Vote" button on each of your chapters, but didn't learn anything or even finish the chapter before voting and skipping to the next chapter?

Or would you rather have a handful of readers, who learned something new from every paragraph of your writing. Perhaps they were struggling with their faith and needed your book to guide them back to Jesus. Maybe these readers needed your words in order to learn about who Jesus is.

The difference between these two choices is that one makes a difference in the world, and one does not. Sure, you could add a surplus of nearly unrelated tags in order to improve your book's search rate. You could water down your messages and take bits and pieces out of the whole truth to make your lessons more appealing.

These strategies can attract more readers, but they won't cause true change in the name of Jesus. These strategies may bring people to your book, but they likely won't help a struggling person find Jesus. Most importantly, you turn away from the best reason to even write for Jesus. These strategies can take the importance of Jesus away from Him and give it to the cause of acquiring more readers.

When you focus on truly making an impact on the world by writing about the Good News of Jesus, you create true change. This change is beautiful and visible, even when you don't see it. Even though you may only see a few/no people comment about the change your lesson brought to them, that doesn't mean you aren't making a difference. Trust Jesus to share your words with those who need them, and you'll find that your book is making a real difference.

People need your writing more than you think. That small group of readers could be truly affected by what you write, so don't give up or feel low when you don't see a high quantity of readers. Acquiring readers takes time, and by trusting Jesus to help you write, you will find more and more people truly affected by your works. Be patient and trusting, for that will allow Jesus to show you the full extent of His capabilities.

Thanks for reading this far into my book! I'm thankful that Jesus has stuck with you and brought you to the end of this chapter! Please share what you learned with whoever you can. Don't be discouraged, since Jesus knows how to guide you and allow you to make a lasting impact on the lives of others. Please comment if you have any questions about this lesson, and don't forget that Jesus is always with you!