I’m still in a season of transition and directional change over here. I recently decided, after a 10-year stint as a monthly columnist with my local paper, to say farewell. I thought I’d share my final newspaper column with you (I’ll still be blogging and publishing my monthly newsletter though!).
Ten years ago I was told by an expert that if I hoped to publish a book, I would first need to build a platform. I should have my own radio show or a newspaper column, plus a website and a social media presence, he advised. I needed to demonstrate to prospective publishers that I had an audience who would buy my book.
With that goal in mind, I suggested the idea of a column about “faith in the everyday” to a features editor at the Journal Star. A few days after I emailed her, I was flabbergasted and thrilled to receive a “yes” to my pitch.
Ten years and 117 columns later, I find myself on the cusp of a new season. Three months ago I announced on my blog that I am stepping away from book writing. After a long period of discernment, I finally acknowledged that the culture of publishing — with its relentless drive toward increasingly larger audiences, more self-promotion and bigger sales — is not a place I want to be anymore. After many seasons of planting and harvesting, I am stepping into a period of pruning and uprooting.
The message we hear again and again from our society is that more is always better. When we cut back at all, it’s often only so we can increase our capacity to produce more. We scrimp on sleep. We leave vacation days unused at the end of the year. We skip regular exercise and cut corners on nutrition. We even neglect our closest relationships. All so we can work more, earn more, succeed more and do more.
I’ve always equated “fruitfulness” with work. I believed that a person was “fruitful” only if he or she produced something — especially something tangible. Jesus, on the other hand, offers a different definition of fruitfulness. “As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you,” he told his disciples. (John 15:5)
Like a tender cultivar grafted onto a mature tree, we flourish when we graft ourselves to God. In abiding in his love, a new kind of fruitfulness flows out from us and into the world – a counter-cultural kind of fruit that is less the product of doing, producing, pushing and striving, and more the result of simply abiding in God.
Five years ago if you had asked me what I thought I would be doing today, I would have answered without hesitation: writing books, magazine articles, blog posts and this monthly newspaper column. Pushing to grow my platform, striving to grow my audience. I couldn’t imagine a time when I wouldn’t be producing more books, more articles and more words. I couldn’t imagine a time in which I wouldn’t be striving to be more productive and more successful.
Today if you ask me the same question, my answer is markedly different. The truth is, I have no idea what I will be “doing” in five years. This isn’t to say I won’t have a job – I certainly hope I will – but simply that my lifelong focus on doing and producing is shifting toward being and abiding.
Today I rest in quiet confidence, knowing that while it may not reflect our culture’s standards of “fruitfulness,” whatever is born of this new season of pruning and uprooting will indeed be fruitful in God.
Yesterday, I happened (was forced) to watch some golf with my husband. I was impressed with Tiger Woods when he said that for the past several years he had been playing too many golf tournaments. He said to reach his goals he had to do less in some areas of his life. I feel when I read your words that the Lord is leading you in a different path. To do less, but achieve more. I selfishly hope that you will continue to post as it helps me, but the Lord will pull you where He wants. God bless you!
Michelle, this post blessed me today as my One Word for 2019 is “Fruit”. The definition which drew me was “a product of plant growth.” Repeatedly as the year has gone on, He has called me to be hidden and not do certain things. This has been challenging to me and required surrender – surrender to His will and not mine. In reading your post, I realized God is after our growth. He is looking for His disciples to grow deeply and intimately in Him, in His Word. This is the true fruit. Thank you for sharing your words today and may God continue to bring forth much fruit in your life as you obey Him. Blessings!
Michelle, I so appreciate your writing authentically about the daily struggles of
living your faith. Your writings are an encouragement to me. I am hopeful you will continue writing from the Back Patio. Take care,
I love that you are embracing this new season of your life, Michelle. May you be fruitful as you rest and abide with God.
Blessings!
Congratulations!
After reading True You and coming upon such realness and wholeness that you’d parsed your way down to, I see all these changes your making as a direct result of your life journey in your book. And you are living it out in a true you way! I so admire you for it, I’m re-inspired to go back over my underlinings. Yes, please don’t stop writing altogether because you have such a clear and calming voice, I need it!
I don’t know how to explain it, but I think *you* resonate more when you write now. I wouldn’t be surprised if your platform grew larger now without the added noise of trying to build one.
This resonated deeply with me. I have been thinking about this concept of moving from doing to being for awhile. Thinking about where all this doing more, being bigger even gets us, except frazzled and worn out. The Experts and gatekeepers are telling me to grow my platform and work harder. Be connected and available on all the social medias. Yet, when I am old and am left with mainly my memories, will I be wishing I had strived more, worked harder to achieve more, wished I had grown my influence more? I think not. I wonder what would happen to publishing today if authors jumped off this bandwagon of growing a platform and doing, doing?
I am loving your posts and your honesty. The questions you are asking. Keep it up.
My sister likes to say, “I am a human being. Not a human doing. “
Loved this so much! I’m hoping the pendulum in the publishing world will swing to a place where authors can just do the work they love and not be about building platforms. Keep writing here, your words are important and meaningful.
Michelle, Peace be with you as God leads you in your journey. We never know what is ahead, but we do know that God is there guiding us in ways we don’t always understand and can’t anticipate.
I appreciate the direction you’re going, leading an authentic life rather than one driven to build a bigger platform. You challeng the rest of us to take stock of our lives, to find what what is truly important, where God is really calling us, and to live on purpose. Thank you.
Ahhhh, I’m letting out a relieved sigh as I read these words. My heart is sending out a quiet yes, yes, yes to everything you shared about rushing less and abiding more. Thank you!
Michelle, I have been following your recent journey and silently applauding you from the sidelines. Today, I want to share that applause with you (YAY for you!!). I’m on a similar personal journey in some ways, having just stepped down from a full-time career in marketing and PR — and yet I’ve just begun a blog and website. Your focus resonates strongly with me and is a good reminder to abide with God on this journey, following only so much as He leads. I feel God leading me to stay the course, but worry less about “doing all the right things” that the industry says to do. Instead, I want to stay true to that one voice of guidance. Thank you for sharing your journey and encouraging so many on similar paths!