My Proofreader

     Obviously, one of my great loves in life is writing. One of my other roles in this life is helping, teaching and encouraging others.  Because of these two interests, I have recently been involved in proofreading and editing the creations of other authors to help them present their ideas clearly and correctly.  As I worked on such a project tonight, I thought about how nice it would be if someone would proofread my life – minute by minute - to keep me from making careless errors.

     Then I realized that there is a proofreader in my life – the Holy Spirit.  He was given to me to be that constant teacher and the One who corrects in gentle ways.  Just as I look over an entire document to find flaws both great and small, He examines my life to find the places where I need guidance.  He re-words the negative things that I may think and say about myself and writes words that line up with the Word of God.  He formats the direction of my life so that everything flows together and makes sense, just as I rearrange paragraphs and insert and delete commas to make the meaning clear.

     When I edit something for someone, I submit it back to them so they can review the changes that I suggest.  At that point, it’s up to them to decide if they will accept those revisions or leave their text the way it was.  In much the same way, the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart and mind, but it’s still up to me whether to listen and allow the changes in my life to be made or whether to stubbornly cling to the way that I want to do things.

     I have created a deadline for myself to post something on my blog each Sunday night.  Some weeks there are several events in my life that provide inspiration for my writing, but other times, I may struggle to keep that commitment because God seems to be silent.  However, if I really listen to my Editor, He speaks just at the right time…..