GUEST WRITER SERIES
Poet, Blogger, and Encourager, LaShona Sellers

I’ve stopped and started more times than I can count. Looming deadlines taunt me. I pray, “Lord, please help me! Give me something.” Flashes of inspiration are lost just as quickly as they come. My brain is muddled, and I just can’t seem to translate anything to paper. Welcome to my writer’s block.
Feeling blocked isn’t a new experience for me; perhaps you can relate. I’ve felt emotionally blocked when challenging relationships left me raw, unsure of how to move forward, but certain things can never return to the way they were. I’ve experienced a mental block when my plate runs over with obligations and expectations, but my cup is empty. The overwhelming exhaustion makes it difficult to think or make even the simplest decision.
But God appeals to you and me, just as he appealed to the Israelites:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up: do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
In the case of Israel, they were so busy looking back that they couldn’t fathom what was ahead. God wanted them to look forward, recognize the work of His hand and open their hearts and minds to His plan for them and, ultimately, the redemption of mankind.
When we’re experiencing any kind of block or challenge, our perception can be skewed. Doubt and discouragement whisper to us. We question God, we question ourselves, we question everything, and we just can’t see a way forward. But seeing is not just about what we take in with our physical eyes. Seeing is also knowing, having an awareness, and imagining possibilities.
God is asking us to see it and perceive it. What is "it" for you? Ultimately, He is inviting us to surrender everything to Him. In our surrender, He helps us to see beyond what blocks us and to perceive His way and plan for our lives. We can write about a tried and true topic in a fresh way. We can hope for a relationship restored with forgiveness and trust. We can receive the grace that allows us the rest our minds and bodies so desperately need.
We serve a God who does amazing things in the wilderness and wasteland. Let’s pause today and ask Him to open our hearts and minds to the new thing He wants to do in and through us.
Understanding what was
The gift of hindsight
The wisdom of experience
At peace with what is
Reconciling expectations
Forgiving what can’t be known
Hopeful for what will be
Buoyed by promise
Walking by faith
Envisioning endless possibilities
A New Thing.
-LAS

LaShona Sellers, a poet, blogger, and writer encourages her readers to live, love, hope, and follow Jesus. She enjoys a good book, a tight harmony, a warm cookie, and a strong cup of tea. Her favorite place to be is at home with her husband, son, and daughter in Baltimore, MD. You can read more from LaShona at https://barnabasblessings.com
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