Coded for the Receiver

As Christian writers, we are always looking for inspiration. Our mind radar scans everything we encounter each day to see if there is a story in it somewhere. Something we can use to drive a point home when using the backdrop of scripture.

We extract the words and fragments of thoughts we are trying to piece together within our thinking, like a secret code that needs deciphering. A code we need to crack so we can use it to create a message that unlocks the vault to a precious gem called a story.  

Random objects, a word or a phase capture my imagination in the most bizarre moments during my day, making me scramble for a pen and a scrap piece of paper in a sense of urgency because I need to write my jumbled thoughts down as quickly as possible, so I do not lose the essence of what I want to write about. 

I know, I’m preaching to the choir, we writers are a curious bunch. However, I believe every message that runs past our senses is coded for the receiver. Our words, our stories, and our messages are like a cipher from God. A unique set of signals which He sends to us is for our eyes only.   

Jonar C. Nader said, “Inspiration is not contagious. It relies on your ability to see what no-one else can see. Each signal is coded for the receiver. Unlike a shooting star which is visible to all who look, inspiration is a one-on-one deal. If you miss it, you miss out. Catch it, and it will do to you what you expect it to. The more you expect of it, the more you will receive.” 

Each one of us has a relationship with God that is unique to us. He is our creator who fashioned us within the womb. Psalm 139:14 says, “I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.” [The Voice Bible]   

I love this! God approached every detail of our lives with excellence. He requires us to do the same in our gift of writing. Now, don’t get me wrong, excellence isn’t about perfection. Trying to be perfect is not a spirit of excellence, that is a spirit of fear. A taskmaster that is relentless, making sure you do everything right and perfect otherwise no one will like you. Oh, the lies we believe!

Perfectionism is thinking about the people we need to impress, excellence is about the people we need to reach. The precious people who are waiting for you to crack the code God has downloaded within your imagination. 

Writers see what nobody else sees. We are hard-wired by God to look for the repeated patterns He sends from heaven. Waiting in anticipation with a notepad in our hand, penciling in our guesses as we decipher the message God wants our readers to hear. 

I cannot count how many times God has prompted me to catch the inspiration so I don’t miss out on a message for my readers. It is my job as a writer to discover the true meaning of each message God has sent. A code for the receiver which is firstly myself, and given to my reader which is the second receiver. I know this to be true because I can write something which really speaks to one person.

However, the same message just didn’t create a spark in another person’s soul, but it was the same message! And that’s okay because the message I wrote was coded for that specific receiver and not everyone.

If you’re waiting for inspiration to strike, then you’ll be waiting a while. Plus, we cannot catch someone else’s inspiration because inspiration isn’t contagious. It absolutely relies on our ability, as a writer, to see what nobody else sees, and to look for inspiration too.

So, next time you’re at the movies or the shopping centre or just sitting staring out of the window, watching the rain run down your windowpane, listen for the ‘click’ of the dial on heaven’s safe, and approach the smallest detail with excellence and get ready to crack the code! 

Wendy xo