Into the Fire

There are some good things about anonymity. The most important is the humility part of it. There is nothing notable to cause recognition and therefore expectations—good or bad. However, hiding in that anonymity can be a crutch or an excuse to remain without substance or accountability.

I can say about myself that I am as close to anonymous as a writer can get. And if there is something less than anonymous like sub-nonymous, I became “it” when I self-published my first novel (Hope Of Glory) because it somehow has become a black mark in publishing circles to publish your own book unless of course that book takes off and sells a zillion copies and is then picked up by a “real” publisher. And I understand that, too, because anyone who would pay the price to publish a book probably can’t be convinced they “can’t” write. Even if it’s true.

Having said all that, no one is anonymous to God. No one. He is always reaching outward, and even though people often feel ignored or neglected or missed by God, that’s a deception. You see, you’re not only not anonymous to Him, He sees all the way into the heart of you: who you really are, how you really see things (including Him), and what you plan to do about who He is in your life if anything at all.

God patiently waited 30 years for me to get to the place where I needed to be known by Him. How many of you have waited 30 years for much of anything? I have heard testimonies from people who’ve prayed that long and longer for the salvation of a spouse or an offspring and were finally rewarded, or went to their graves believing it would happen—and it did, posthumously for them.

In comparison to God we will always be a nobody. God doesn’t care. He specializes in nobodys. And it is far better to assess ourselves in terms of who we are in comparison to our Lord than to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to. Because without Him, we ARE nobody.

All the books written, all the unique words put together on a page . . . do you realize the only ones with eternal value are the ones written in obedience or as an offering to Him? Without the talent given by God, without the direction of God, without the blessing in God, things on earth are temporal, and their value is highly overrated. It’s not that they can’t be enjoyed—it’s that they have no lasting importance or significance.

As believers, as blood-bought saints, we will stand before Jesus and give an account of our lives. More than anything else, I want to thank Him for allowing me to belong to Him, for the privilege of being able to do anything for Him, and for the hope that those stories He gave me to write blessed Him above all. Because in the end, that will be all that really matters. His name is glorified, not mine. He is not anonymous. He matters. And in Him, we matter, too.

Father, thank you for giving us value, for allowing us a piece of your creativity, for all of the marvelous talents and gifts you freely give to people, hoping they will use them for your glory in order that others will look to you for the purpose and direction and true value we all so desperately need in our lives. Thank you that your love reaches to the highest and lowest places of human existence, that no one is excluded from your reach. I love you, Lord, and I’m grateful for each thing, big or small, that you give me to do. Help me to be more obedient, to press on, to do what you have for me to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.