By Cynthia Ruchti
A recent magazine article
removed all my Writer Guilt. Well,
not all of it, but a good portion. It’s not my fault. (Is anything? Don’t
answer that.) I simply suffer from medically defined phobias of which I was
unaware.
“I’m
sorry. You’re writing doesn’t utilize enough of the five senses.” (geuma·pho·bia,
n. fear of taste)
When my
tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth when asked, “So, what is it you write?”
(deipno·pho·bia, n. fear of dinner conversation)
When I’ve
been glued to my office chair too long. (ambulo·pho·bia, n. fear of walking)
When I
haven’t exercised for weeks because of a deadline. (cyclo·pho·bia, n. fear of
bikes)
When I
delete half of the metaphors and alliteration in my chapter. (metro·pho·bia, n.
fear of poetry)
When I
can’t leave myself a note without my iPhone. (papyro·pho·bia, n. fear of paper)
When I
resist editorial notes. (sopho·pho·bia, n. fear of learning)
When I
stay in my yoga pants and t-shirt all day rather than putting on real clothes. (textophobia,
It’s not what you think. n. fear of fabrics)
There’s
a phobia for that, whatever it is. Without minimizing the agonies of genuine
phobias and the mental anguish they produce, I can’t help but wonder if the
Lord sometimes shakes His head over the ones we invent for ourselves.
“I know
what You said, Lord. I’m going to obey. Any day now.” (blessingo·pho·bia, n. fear of the joy of
instant obedience)
“Pray
for my enemies? You’re kidding, right?” (shalomo·pho·bia, n. fear of peace)
“Spend
time alone with You, Lord? I’m a little busy here, serving You, writing for
You.” (growth-and-successo·pho·bia, n. fear of the obvious)
"That takes a courage I don't have, Lord." (Same word: submit-o-phobia, n. fearing failure more than disappointing God)
To how many of our phobias,
real or imagined, does God speak His directive, “Don’t be afraid”?
“So do not fear, for I am with
you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,” Isaiah 41:10, NIV.
What fear is keeping you from something you KNOW God is calling you to do this week? If you express it, it will lose some of its influence. And you'll gain at least one new prayer partner about that issue.
Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of Hope-that-glows-that-in-the-dark through her novels, novellas, devotions, nonfiction, and through speaking events for women and writers. Her recent release is All My Belongings, a novel from Abingdon Press. Cynthia's novel When the Morning Glory Blooms took top honors in Women's Contemporary Fiction in the Selah Awards. www.cynthiaruchti.com
I love this! I could add Cynthia-phobia: fear of never being as witty and wonderful as Cynthia Ruchti! You're my role model. :)
ReplyDeleteFear is my biggest enemy. I worry constantly about making a fool of myself, whether that be in my writing, in social media, or just in day-to-day life.
We all have at least one huge obstacle to overcome in our writing pursuits. Glad yours are limited to those three!!!!! :)
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