You are an original masterpiece, fashioned by the hand of God Himself. You are also an original writer, fashioned by the same hand of God. Okay, then, what do you see when you look in the mirror first thing in the morning? 

If you’re like me, you see bedhead, groggy eyes, and a face that badly needs a cup of coffee. But what do you see beyond that? I mean behind that face that needs coffee? Behind that bedhead? Behind those groggy eyes? If you see a masterpiece, good for you! But if you see a sorry sight, then read on.

One of the truisms of the writer’s life—and of all life—is that we will never achieve beyond the level of our self-image. Self-image is the way we perceive yourselves, the way we look at yourselves, the way we think about ourselves. Scripture tells us that as a person thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7 TLB).

So how do you think about yourself in your heart? How do you think about yourself as a writer? No fair cheating now.  What are those first thoughts that pop into your head? If you’re like most of us, those first thoughts sound something like this:

• Well, let’s see how many rejections I can collect this week.

• Am I crazy to be doing this for less money than I earned as a waitress in college?

• My dream of being on the New York Times best-seller list has turned into a nightmare.

Do you notice a pattern in the thoughts above? If you said they’re all negative, you’re right. But most important of all, they are contrary to God’s Word.

God has a lot to say about who we really are. All we have to do is believe Him. It’s that simple.

And that hard.

If you’re struggling with negative thoughts about yourself and your writing, I invite you to share your struggles with us so that we can pray for you. You’re not alone, and all is not lost. You can turn your life around by turning your thoughts around (Romans 12:2).

If you need a little help, I’ve written a booklet entitled Self-Image and the Writer. It’s about my own journey from a negative attitude to a positive one regarding my writing and my life. If you’d like your own copy, please click here.