Who would’ve guessed that when my son asked for a video camera in third grade, his movies would one day help me get a book contract?
It’s funny how things work out.
Let me rephrase.
It’s funny how God works things. I bet he delights in watching us put the pieces together, in seeing our wide-eyed wonder as we realize how perfect his design was from before day one.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. How did my son’s movies help me get a book contract?
After working hard on my craft, writing the best book I could, revising that book a million times, getting an agent and revising some more, the videos then helped garner interest in the book.
They were funny, and I write humor. They were about our dog, and the book was about our dog. They were an innovative way to market, and I needed all the innovation I could get. My platform was, how shall I say it?
Stinky.
Editors who got the book proposal followed the links I provided and watched the videos. And laughed. And said things like, “What a great marketing appetizer.”
Within two months of sending out the proposal, I got an offer.
It seemed strangely sudden after working so long to break into publishing. Those years (yes, years) felt like trying to chip a hole through Mount Everest. With an ice pick.
But God is in the business of doing impossible things. We’re simply in the business of being obedient.
That doesn’t mean we do nothing. It means we keep moving forward with whatever marching orders God gives us. It means we look for creative ways to solve our problems and inventive ways to tackle our tasks. It means we keep growing, working, and trusting.
No matter what mountains rise before us.
We serve a limitless God who daily stuffs our backpacks with the resources we need for each leg of the journey.
It might be a home movie your kid made. Or maybe a craft book you read eons ago suddenly sparks a new direction. Or maybe it’s a conversation with a friend who has just the right words at just the right time.
Today, here and now, with the tools God gives us, we can chip away at our mountain.
Because you know what?
Today might be the day we break through.
You can find more Henry videos here!
Hilarey Johnson
August 3, 2014 at 12:23 pm (9 years ago)Erin–I was wondering how you ended up with so much funny footage of Henry! Thanks for the image of our limitless God stuffing our backpacks. (Maybe we shouldn’t complain so much about baggage. )
Erin Taylor Young
August 3, 2014 at 7:34 pm (9 years ago)I owe most of that footage to my son. : ) And yes, I agree that what God gives us as baggage is all good. I think it’s when we try to pack for ourselves (or keep stuff we really shouldn’t) that we end up with way too much to carry. : )
Robin Patchen
August 4, 2014 at 12:30 pm (9 years ago)Great stuff here, Erin, as always. I’m with Hilarey–I love that image of the backpack.