I was in a spelling bee in 5th grade. Yes, I’ve been a good speller for many years. I was a finalist in this spelling bee, and I was so proud of myself. But I was shaken from my pedestal one afternoon. I misspelled a word, which took me out of the competition.
But I digress. I’ve honed my spelling skills (without autocorrect) since then. Even with a spell check installed on my laptop, I rarely get the red squiggly lines indicating misspellings. So yes, my spelling prowess is something I boast about to my kids.
It’s not much to boast about. Until today, now that I’m writing about it, I kept my spelling pride under wraps. I’ve kept it away from almost everyone besides my family. They have to endure my spelling corrections.To them, I am the spelling champion and bask in that reverie 😂. Besides spelling, writing, and speaking, my skills are limited, so I have to use what I can, right?
More than a runner-up in a spelling bee
It’s taken me a long time to recognize what my husband saw many years ago. He knew I could do more than come in as runner-up in a spelling bee. He recognized that I was a writer and speaker. I resisted for a long time—too long. Now I understand how much time I wasted. I was trying to escape what he saw, and others, including my English teachers, saw.
In time, I realized I enjoyed the process once I gave in and started writing. I took a few courses on writing and proofreading. To my surprise, I enjoyed every lesson. Right now, I scour courses online that have anything to do with writing. I have several on my “wish I could afford to do those” list.
It was amazing to me that I enjoyed writing, grammar, and everything else that went with it. Later, I realized that public speaking was also a part of my skill set. This was quite the surprise to me. For years I was that wallflower that preferred to be seen not heard. The passion that I had for speaking and writing was fueled by my desire to study and teach Bible. Now you can see all the pieces coming together. The things I studied found their way into classes that I taught, articles, blog posts, and books.
This passion for spelling and grammar has given me a reputation at home. My son Stephen and his wife Angela gifted me my grammar mug. I’m known for correcting errors even in texts. Yes, it can go that far. But, I don’t judge. Not much anyway.
It took too long
But it all took too long. I listened to that lying voice that whispered in my ear, “You can’t do any of that. What do you have to say?”
Don’t let those lying voices inside you keep you from fulfilling God’s will. Those voices give way to doubts that keep you from pursuing the passion that God has placed in your heart. It’s never too late for God to write another chapter in the book He is writing about you. His plans for your life are as vast or as limited as is your trust in Him.
The things that God can resurrect
What do you have in your heart? Maybe you’ve stuffed it down so far that you can barely remember it but it’s there. Back in the recesses of what you hoped you could do but felt you weren’t good enough to do. It’s those things that God, if you let Him, can resurrect.
Don’t wait as long as I did. Life is more than a spelling bee. God has some fantastic things in store for you. Trust me, I’ve lived it. You can do whatever He says you can do. Let Him surprise you.
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