How Should Christian Writers Pursue Their Well-Being?
I finished the last page of the large hardcover book I was reading and slowly closed it. Even though it had been meticulously crafted with stunning paintings and photography, an aesthetically pleasing interior layout, and interesting facts littered throughout, my heart felt heavy. Exploring the lives and works of celebrated writers from the Middle Ages to the present day, the back blurb of the book encouraged the reader to “see how the world influenced them, and how their works influenced the world.”
As I read, I could clearly see how these authors had influenced society through their writing, initiating widespread cultural shifts in thought, attitude, and desire over the decades. I was fascinated to learn about their experiences from childhood into adulthood, their intellectual pursuits, and their creative bravery—often in the face of oppression, war, or general resistance to freedom of thought within literature. But as one after the other made unwise choices—including adultery, abusive behavior, reckless living, and falling into debt—the downward trajectory of the lives of these innately gifted writers weighed heavy on me. Many became estranged from spouses, family, and friends. They often succumbed to addiction, turning to alcohol, sex, and drugs. Some, in desperation, even resorted to suicide, perhaps to experience relief from the reality of their lives. I was profoundly disturbed and disappointed by this dark trend. Why did so many famous, accomplished, and influential writers live such tragic lives, cut short or ruined by weakness and degradation?
Of course, simply being gifted at writing offers no protection from the brutality of life in this fallen world, yet the odds seemed overwhelmingly stacked against the majority of them. It would be easy to dismiss this phenomenon as mere susceptibility to creative angst—to play into the idea of the “tortured artist” who needs darkness and drama to fuel their creative endeavors. But I believe this cliche only scratches the surface of the issues involved.
Critical acclaim, accolades, and awards seemingly had no effect on their mental health or state of mind. Neither publishing deals nor commercial success quieted the demons that plagued them. Their works certainly influenced the world, but it appeared the world also greatly influenced them.
I recently came across some verses in the book of Ecclesiastes that summarize for me, as a Christ-following writer, what my primary motivation should be:
Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Eccles. 12:9–13)
It is my prayer that my writing would come from a deep well of wisdom and knowledge, carefully weighed and studied with great care. I aim to write as beautifully and delightfully as I am able and to reflect, wherever I can, the one who is full of grace and truth. I desire to be a writer who walks uprightly before a holy God—a God who, as Psalm 51 declares, desires truth in our inner being and will help us to know wisdom in our hearts.
To commit to this will require courage in the face of conflict. If the words of the wise are like goads, then as we seek to write from an overflow of received wisdom from God, we should expect our words to feel like goads to many—intentionally or unintentionally provoking people to action or reaction. This may reveal itself in positive or negative ways, but we must not shy away from writing the truth that can set people free. As the aroma of Christ arises from the words we write, 2 Corinthians 2:16 reminds us that to some it will smell like death, while for others it will be the sweet scent of life.
Writers thrive on having regular time to reflect. We think deeply and can ruminate on ideas for months, even years. We attempt to process emotionally and mentally the narratives of life, the experiences we have, and the existence of those around us. We are often deeply empathic, sensitive, intuitive individuals with strong ideals of how things could and maybe should be. We attempt to write in a way that leads others to realize how things could be.
Along the way, we can hit mental, emotional, and even spiritual roadblocks. We see the gaps in our thinking and witness the devastation in the world, and we long for things to be different, nobler, kinder. We can feel insignificant, recognizing that our words may never accomplish all we hope to accomplish or reach those we hope to reach. We are aware of constantly falling short and our failure to live up to our own ideals. We lament our inability to bring about the change we perceive is needed in the world through our writing.
This is why writers need hope. What hope did those famous writers have? Did they hope in themselves—in their ability to bring about change or their capacity to deliver themselves through documenting the troubles that ailed them? Clearly, this was in itself a hopeless endeavor and may have precipitated the downward spiral so evident in many of their lives. As disciples of Christ who happen to be writers, we have the absolute privilege of knowing the God of all hope. The God who is able to fill us with all joy and peace as we believe in him. As we live this way and write from a place of rest in his promises, hope can abound in and through our words by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We will not grow weary; we will write faithfully and not faint.
It is widely believed that the best writers are avid readers. But I wonder what those conflicted writers were thinking and reflecting on in their everyday lives? What did they read and study? Most importantly, what mental filter did they use to measure the morality, the validity, or the ultimate meaning of what they read and studied? Many of these writers did not claim to know or follow Christ. In the absence of godly wisdom or fear of God, it is not surprising that many fell prey to too much worldly study and immense weariness of body, soul, and spirit. We all need the boundaries found in God’s Word to be truly free—boundary lines that fall in pleasant places and offer a delightful inheritance (Psalm 16).
As writers of faith, we can receive counsel and instruction from the creator of all things. We can read and study Scripture as our ultimate literary guide. Spirit-inspired, the Bible contains an overwhelming breadth and depth of literary variety and historical richness including narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, gospels, epistles, and apocalyptic writings. This is the fountain from which writers of faith must drink. This is the foundational text for the grand narrative of life—creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. These universal themes resonate with each of us, revealed in countless epic stories, ancient mythologies, and classic fairy tales.
As Christian writers, we have a reason to hope, to reverse the infamous literary trend of tragic lives filled with emotional turmoil. We can explore the mysteries, the painful realities, and unanswered questions of life without giving in to despair. We can choose to not play games with presumptuous sin or blindly follow selfish desires, accolades, or applause. Even when our writing becomes influential, we should set the Lord always before us and seek his will above our own regarding the words we write. And before we put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboards, we can trust that he will be with us. He will place us on the path that leads to life as we live uprightly before him and write his words of truth.
Ishah Broad is a freelance writer, wife, and mother of two living in Derbyshire, England. She finds joy in knowing Christ, reading widely, writing freely, taking a good nature walk, and in all things bookish, cozy, and creative. She is a member of Woodlands Church in Derby in the United Kingdom and a member of the Gospel-Centered Discipleship Writers’ Guild. You can find more of her work at In All Things.