By Lisa S. Tarno

I am overwhelmed! I tried to cry out, “Uncle” to tap out of the events of my life that seem to swirl around me like a tempest,…but God didn’t honor my concession but rather for me to cry out to “Abba, Father” instead. Glaring signs of confirmation of the original stirring have popped up all around me: “Write those books!”

For my recent birthday, I have received three journals from friends spurring me on to deeper depths in my writing aspirations. My husband gifted me a book called, “The 12 Week Year For Writers” and said once again, “It’s time! Get busy publishing.” I can be the queen of being easily distracted and distracted I have been. Some has been fun distraction while a whole boat load of it, as of late, has been not!

I have been freelance writing for over 28 years! God laid on my heart a couple of books that are “germinating” on my laptop. It’s not that I have been negligent with not writing at all, as I have written curriculum for women’s Bible studies, taught Bible studies for over 23 years, was a paid freelance writer for a magazine, won poetry contests, and wrote oodles of newsletters and blog articles. I say all that to say, there’s been an outlet for the inspiration God gives me. It’s just “eating-the-big-elephant” of publishing a book that seems arduous to me and scares me quite frankly.

I attempted this once in 2019. Six months of concentrated writing and then intense spiritual warfare attacked me. The arrows of the enemy were precise, exacting and tailor made. It freaked me out so much so that I self soothed by binge watching 10 seasons of Friends! Then I moved onto 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls. The pandemic of 2020 happened… Rinse, Lather and Repeat! 

I realize it is now 2025 and the hiatus of time isn’t lost on me. A whole lot of life has happened in between. So bringing this up to date, after all my recent promptings to begin again, I expressed to God that I needed all the distractions in life to STOP so I could actually focus on writing. (The harsh truth is it is probably just another excuse even though it is valid.) I’m smack dab in the middle of dealing with aging parents, one of which has dementia, and are declining rapidly and taking up a lot of my mental energy and health. At the same time, I have young adult children that sometimes keep me awake at night in prayer for them. Meanwhile, I am trying to keep my head above water managing my own healthcare needs and necessary fitness to live long and prosper. 

At times, I feel like I am going under. It literally plays out in my mind like Peter walking on the water towards Jesus and upon seeing all the waves starts to sink. The wind and waves all around makes for an epic story but all I want is peace and quiet to reflect and write and what God says to my request for a cease and desist on the storms of life, “No”. “They are meant to be the boisterous winds to propel you forward!”  I looked up the meaning of boisterous. It read, “of waves, weather, wind- rough and stormy”! This did not comfort me. 

Additionally, in my quiet time of reading the Bible and reflecting, the commentary in the NLT read, “Moses was careful to obey God’s instructions in the smallest detail. We should follow Moses’ example and be fastidious about our obedience. If God has told you to do something, do it, do it right, and do it completely.” I kid you not! That was my word today! Then He impressed upon my heart, “Right Here, Write HERE!” 

And so it begins…