Any Christian writer would agree that the writing process shapes us. We may start out intending to impact others through our words, but along the way, we discover that God is using our writing to transform us, too.
I asked fellow writers, “What has God taught you through your writing?” Their responses were honest, thought-provoking, and encouraging. As I read them, I noticed recurring themes that reveal powerful ways that writing changes us.
How God Uses Writing to Transform Us
Do you ever wonder how your writing fits into God’s work in your life? Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the writing world or you’ve been writing for years, I trust these insights from other Christian writers will encourage you.
Here are 17 unique answers to the question: What has God taught you through your writing?
1. Writing strengthens our faith.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
“You do not know if it will grow, but you will not reap if you do not sow. Writing for Christ is an act of faith. Faith honors God. So we sow on.”—Abigail Wallace
The biggest lesson for me is to let God guide both my writing and the timing. My part is to obey and write what God puts on my heart to say. God measures success much differently, and I’m very grateful to write my blog one entry at a time. Only God knows the future of my writing. Interestingly, this is also how I end my entries…Follow God and Write from your Heart.—Kendra Hess
“God has taught me above all that growth takes time. This is something I’ve surely learned apart from writing, but my writing has cemented it into me as well. I love seeing how thoughts I’ve mulled over for years bear fruit later in ways I didn’t expect. I love looking back and seeing themes of the same truths God has slowly been teaching me through different angles and different experiences. It helps me know that I don’t have to master everything now, and that I can depend on the Holy Spirit to form me in his time.”—Brianna Lambert
Writing requires faith. We plant words in faith, not knowing how or when they will bear fruit, but trusting God with the harvest.
2. Writing humbles us.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
“The biggest lesson God has taught me through writing is humility! Time and again, the attempt to string ideas into sentences has confronted me with my limitations and shortcomings, and that frustration brings me back to the basics: dependence on Him.”—Paola Barrera
“The biggest lesson God has taught me through my writing is that my identity and satisfaction are in him and not what I produce.”—Bob Allen
He must be the ongoing source of my inspiration! —Linda Simpson
Writing reveals our limitations and deepens our dependence on God, reminding us that any fruitfulness comes from abiding in Him.
3. Writing deepens our spiritual growth.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).
“God is molding me, shaping me, into who He wants me to be. I want to inspire young girls to be everything God wants them to be, but first He must transform me.”—Deborah Pettit
“The biggest lesson God has taught me through my writing has happened through much reading—reading to know what to write—reading that is growing my affection for God and my understanding of Scripture.”—Timarie Friesen
Many times the message the Lord has given me to write is for me. Writing helps me process what He’s teaching me, and it’s an honor to get to give that message as an offering to the Lord. – Anna Moore
“God continues to bring healing into my life as I seek to write my testimony story to the glory of God.”—Jen Niemann
“God has shown me how much my thinking and writing is sharpened by other peoples’ perspectives. I have grown so much from the feedback other writers and readers have given me!”—Heidi Kellogg
“As I follow His leading and focus on the work He has called me to do, He will guide me to where I need to be. Writing is a way to serve others, but it’s also helped me grow by providing a way to capture some of the things God has been teaching me.”—Hannah Grace Stanton
“I love how God transforms my heart, before any words make it to the page.”—Cara Ray
God transforms us through our writing before He uses our writing to transform others.
4. Writing shifts our focus from self to service.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10–11).
“God can use me to inspire and encourage others, as long as I remain a humble tool and give Him the glory!”—Rosemary Barry
“God speaks as powerfully through novel writing as He does non-fiction. Stories (both fiction and non-fiction) are powerful because they allow us to share what must be experienced to be truly understood. And a well-written book allows a reader to do just that. There is an openness to new perspectives in readers that isn’t always as present in their day-to-day life. Most come to a story wanting to experience something new, and we can use that receptivity to help them move beyond limitations in their thinking.”—Sheena Maness
God-glorifying writing is an act of stewardship and service, not the pursuit of personal success.
5. Writing teaches us to define success God’s way.
“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
“Write to glorify God for the good of his people. I’ve been writing consistently now for three years. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of other writers come and go, many of whom were far more “successful” than I am, but it wasn’t enough. It is so easy to aim for the wrong goals. Likes, subscriber counts, collaborations, book deals, but at the end of the day we’ll always fall short of the next goal. If instead we write with the knowledge that we’re pointing towards the only one who is enough, then we’ll remain consistent and hopefully, keep encouraging people on in the faith. This isn’t to say that those goals are necessarily bad, but when we make those goals into gods, something has gone wrong.”—Adsum Try Ravenhill
“Be faithful in little things. Growing as a writer, both in craft and reach, can be slow and discouraging. But small, consistent steps over time do make a difference! Showing up to faithfully write to the best of my ability to whoever God has given me to speak to at this moment is all I am called to do, and I can trust God with the results.”—Cara Dyck
True success in writing isn’t measured by numbers but by faithfully stewarding the message God has entrusted to us.
How Has God Used Writing to Transform You?
I’ve likened editing to sanctification, but God uses the entire writing process for our sanctification! From ideation through publication, God strengthens our faith, humbles our hearts, and teaches us to trust Him. He refines us as we wrestle with words, and He reminds us that He’s pleased by faithfulness, not numbers.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! How has God used writing to transform you? What lessons has He taught you through your writing? Share your thoughts in the comments to add to this conversation!
