When is the last time you have written anything of substance? Anything longer than a text or email? If we are not careful, writing will be a lost art. That is not healthy or good. Writing brings many benefits; below you can see a few that are especially helpful: writing brings clarity, precision, and proper application.
Writing brings clarity
Like a family rushing to church on a Sunday morning, someone may forget a shoe, a Bible, or to brush their teeth. Instead, when we slow down and have everything in order, it prepares us for the task at hand – our minds aren’t wondering about the curling iron we might have left plugged in. In the same way, writing clears the mind. It pushes away the fog and allows us to process well.
Writing brings precision
When we write, we are forced to think through what we want to articulate. Speaking can trail off in various directions and jump from conversation to conversation. Writing is different. It not only accommodates but nearly necessitates logical flow and precision, particularly when writing is combined with editing.
Writing brings proper application
As we think about something more deeply by putting it into our own words, we understand it better. Having a firm understanding is necessary for proper application. Something changes when we are no longer content to skim over a text and pick up a few facts. Dwelling on them by taking time to write brings out the various aspects of the content we are thinking about. It’s no longer just details about God knowing all things. Writing can allow for exploring what that means for our lives, the comfort it brings, and the conviction it elicits.
Writing about writing?
So why write about writing? This is a message to me on the importance of the written word and how it brings clarity, precision, and proper application. I need to hear this. It’s also a motivation for me to continue and make a habit of writing this year. Will you journey alongside me? I hope to contribute regularly to this blog again, but even if I am shouting into the unknown without a listener, I believe the practice will be well worth the effort. As Augustine said, “I profess to be one who, by profiting, write, and by writing profit.”[1]
[1] Augustine, Epistle 7, as quote in Jean Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), xxxvii.
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