I will be,
I will be,
I will be,
Strength
For the journey.
-
Michael
John Poirier, “Strength for the Journey”
Hello there, reader.
How are you today? And I’m not asking in the casual way we
use as a greeting, that way that really doesn’t require an answer. I mean, how
are you really?
What’s weighing on your heart?
How can I serve you?
See, the task of pinning down my niche as a writer is a
really difficult one, and I was hoping you could help me out. What do you need?
Or rather, what do you need that I can give to you?
I want to give you hope. Encouragement. Inspiration. Support.
Love. So far these are what I keep coming back to, but they’re not quite
specific enough, are they? Who do I
mean to encourage? And about what do I hope to encourage them?
I’ve been so hesitant to narrow and define my niche because
I don’t want to turn anyone away if they’re immediately thinking, “That’s not
me.” In recent months, I’ve begun regarding my writing as a ministry. And if
ministry is service, then I want to serve… well, everyone! I want to write for
everyone.
But I don’t know how to do that, because there are people
with infinite experiences and struggles different from my own that I couldn’t speak
to without feeling like a fraud. I don’t, for example, know what it’s like to
be a mother or an athlete or a movie star or a musician. So I don’t write about
those things, and instead I opt to “write what I know,” but still I feel, at
only 24 years young, I can’t write about anything
with the authority and wisdom born from experience.
But nonetheless, here’s what I do know:
I know a road paved with uncertainty, where trepidation and
anxiety and fear of the future drip from the leaves over my head. I know straightaways
that continue for miles and bends that come out of nowhere; I know streams to quench
my thirst; I know rocky ascents and peaceful, flower-filled meadows, and God’s
hand at my back, always. But mostly I know the relentless tug of wondering if I’m
moving in the right direction, if I should have taken a different road. Would
another path be easier than the one I’m on right now? And how do I learn to
love the one God’s lighting for me, one bit at a time?
I hope that when I tell my stories, you see something of my
journey in yours. Although the paths we walk are inherently different, they’re
also the same – well-trodden with familiar fears and anxieties, missteps and
stumbles, the generations who came before us, and those who walk beside us now
to remind us we’re not alone. If you are looking for a companion as you walk
your road, I want to be that for you.
I want to be your strength for the journey: the lifelong
journey to understanding your self-worth, God’s infinite and unconditional love
for you, your purpose, and the kind of intentional, love-filled life you yearn
to live.
I will be,
I will be,
I will be,
Strength
For YOUR journey.
***
How can I be strength for your journey? What do you need today? Prayers, love, encouragement? Let me know in the comments below. :)