Your First Fruits ~ Ginger Solomon

I wrote a different post, but when I ran out of things to say about 200 words in, I knew it wasn’t what I was supposed to write.

So instead, I’m going to share what I learned from my last novella, On Angels’ Wings—part of the boxed set, The Heart of Christmas—which released this week.

I almost always learn something from my stories, though I don’t always grasp it right away.

Toward the end of this story, God rebuked me through my heroine, Jenna. She’s basically throwing a temper tantrum because my hero doesn’t put her first in his life. (Hey, we’ve all been there. Don’t judge her too harshly.)

And here’s what God showed her (and me) ...  

“Am I first place in your life?
Jenna groaned, knowing that many times God got pushed to the side because she knew He'd understand. Not as much as You should be.
And now you know how I feel when you ignore me. I wait for you. I send reminders of My presence. And still you push me to the side to do other things. Things you deem more important.”

Can we say, “Ouch?”

I write best first thing in the morning. I know this. So, when I’m in writing mode, I postpone my quiet time to write. Which in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem is that I don’t actually do a quiet time if I write first. That is not good.

I’m a habitual person. I like routine. Do this, and then do that, and then move on to the next thing. And so on. When I put writing first, it became a habit. I pushed God to the side, because “I” knew He’d understand. Afterall, He’d put the gift of writing in my life.

But that’s not giving God my best. It’s not giving Him my first fruits. It’s giving Him the leftovers if I bother to give Him any time at all. And that makes me sad.

I love God. I write for God.

I have a sticky 3x5 card on the wall behind my monitor. It says, “Write for God alone.” Which to me means that even if I never sold even one book, I’m a success because I’ve done what God called me to do. I’ve written the story He asked me to write. I’ve learned something—either about Him or about me. And in the end, that’s worth more than any money I can make. (Not that I say no to the checks when they come in. LOL)

What has God taught you lately, either in your quiet time, through your calling, or through someone else?

About On Angel's Wings:

Bakery owner, Jenna Wing prepares to spend Thanksgiving alone—her first without her family. When her former neighbor, Thomas Hayes, invites her to dinner, she finds that she can’t say no. 

Their previous friendship turns to something more, but Thomas’s family issues threaten their new-found relationship.

Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K1FL87D/

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre, and if she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, books are on her mind. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.

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