There comes a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself, for better or for worse, as his own portion... -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today I had the privilege of substitute teaching at Southside Christian School. The teacher for the first-hour class, Honors American Literature, left instructions for the students to read an excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay, "On Self-Reliance."
The students looked lost on their own, and I felt sorry for them. I hadn't read the piece for almost forty years, but I offered to read it aloud and discuss the meaning along the way. Time to pull out those oral interpretation skills I learned in college! Those analytical thinking skills too!
The combination of words and the human voice can prove amazing. A voice can bring energy and enlightenment to words that--while powerful--lie otherwise dead and confusing on a page. But life experience brings understanding to words too. I'm sure I understood the essay better today than I did when I read it as a high school or college student.
How convicted I felt as I read Emerson's line: "We but half express ourselves, and are
ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents."
I look back on my life and recognize how often I've refrained from sharing my writing because I was afraid of what others would think, ashamed that I wasn't good enough, or hesitant to be branded a Christian author because the label might limit the breadth of my audience (yes, ironically, the audience I didn't have because I was afraid someone might criticize).
"Put
your heart into your work and do your best," Emerson seems to urge us.
"Accept the place the divine providence has found for you. Trust yourself. Every heart vibrates to that iron string."
What iron string? The metaphor may refer to a tuning fork that vibrates when its true pitch is struck elsewhere. The phrase makes me think of the verse, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). In other words, the truth of what is good or evil, what is beautiful or ugly, what is poignant or trivial, resonates with the enduring image of God that lies within us. This iron string is how we recognize truth.
As a writer, I can't deny who I am. I am God's creation, God's divine idea. I am made in His image. I am redeemed through His love. I am His unique handiwork.
Recently I exercised courage--the courage to self-publish. Where will this courage take me? I don't know. Perhaps not to greatness, for while many are called, few are chosen. I may not make a fortune, but I can use the gifts God gave me to inspire and encourage others in ways they might not have been otherwise.
