Quittin’ Time

When I sit down to write, I often wonder if what I write, what I do or say matters. This thought hit me hard yesterday. I stood in my kitchen last night mixing ingredients to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. As I measured out the dry, and then the wet mixtures, I watched Brenda Gantt of Cooking With Brenda Gantt fame, via Facebook.

Brenda lives in my hometown, Andalusia, Alabama, and became an overnight sensation when she turned on her cellphone and videoed herself making biscuits and telling us step-by-step how to do it. With one hand holding her phone, and the other bringing together the flour, shortening, and buttermilk to make those yummy biscuits. She even rolled them out and placed them on the baking pan with one hand. Unbelievable.

A short while later, she was appearing on shows like Mark Lowrey. He even visited her bed and breakfast, The Cottle House, to spend some time getting to know her and enjoying her Southern hospitality and cooking. Soon, Brenda had over a million viewers.

 

IS IT QUITTIN’ TIME?

Believe it or not, she put forth the question last night—does what I do here matter? Does anyone really care? It’s a lot of work to get ready and do all the work that goes into creating a video of cooking day to day. Then, there’s the cleanup. Is it worth the effort?

Now, you can imagine if someone like Miss Brenda, who has such a huge following, asks that question, how much more often must we, some of us published authors yet without a huge following, ask that same question? Does it really matter if only a few people are reading our blog posts, or subscribing to our newsletters, or reading our books? Is it time to just throw in the towel and quit?

I have a dear friend, who’s in Heaven now, tell me over and over, you don’t quit until God tells you to.

Quittin' Time @DDuPreeWilliams #faith #writing Share on X

THREE LETTERS

So, when Miss Brenda got not one, but three letters all this past week, telling her how much she meant to those people, one from the daughter of a woman aged ninety-six who recently went to Jesus, one a boy age nine, and one more that I don’t remember, but she does, all telling her what a blessing she’d been to them, she knew she had to keep doing what she does. Blessing people with her encouraging, godly words as she cooks or works in her garden.

ONLY ONE YOU – YOUR PLACE

Here’s the thing. There is no one out there who can reach certain people other than you. You may never meet them or even get a letter telling you how much what you do means to them, how you touched them, and maybe even changed their eternity. There is only one you, and as Eva Marie Everson said in my favorite keynote of all-time, No one can take your place on the wall. This was taken from the book of Nehemiah when the Hebrew children helped to build back the wall in Jerusalem after it had come into ruin.

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the King. A minor figure in all of the Bible yet charged with an enormous task. God gave this task to him because He knew Nehemiah would obey and get the job done.

There have been many times I’ve come into my office to string together words that I pray will bless you. But I often ask if it’s time to quit. Some days it seems like a thankless task. But I’m still here because I’ve yet to hear from God that it’s time to quit.

KEEP GOING

Last week, my blog post was about working for God and not for man. So, here I am. Doing what God has called me to. Would you believe that since I used that verse last week, it has appeared on social media countless times this week? Only God could underscore the work He’s called us to in such a manner.

So, whatever you do today, know that God will use it to His glory and to turn even one person to Him so that their eternity is secure. Now, go build your portion of that wall—God’s work, to His glory.

Blessings, y’all!

I didn’t know this song or this artist. But I love this. So fitting for this post. This is My Prayer for You! Blessings!