I have a Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotion running today, and each time I read it, tears come to my eyes — even though I wrote it. The title is “If She Hadn’t Believed In Me…”  and you can READ IT HERE. 

This devotion is talking about how my mom Barbara, who has been my biggest cheerleader in life in all things, especially my calling to be a writer, was instrumental in encouraging and supporting me in my decision to step out of my comfort zone and follow God’s call to be a writer.  I have to wonder at times what may have been different in my life if I hadn’t her, my children, and a few friends around to let me know they believed in me.

Although I’ve been with Proverbs 31 since 2006 as a speaker and a writer, I have served as the Director of COMPEL writers training division at Proverbs 31 for three years. As much I love writing and speaking as my own ministry, I love my job at COMPEL and it has been such a blessing to be able to walk alongside other writers and help equip and encourage them in their own calling to write. What a joy it is to spur women on in their dreams as a writer and help them find success and fulfillment in writing about their God stories. Countless lives are being impacted and changed here on earth and for eternity through the words of those who feel called by God to write and follow in obedience.

Although there have been seasons, even recently, where I didn’t think I could continue writing because my heart was shattered, I felt completely unworthy, or life felt too hard, somehow God always draws me back in and equips and excites me to do what He called me to do. COMPEL Training has been one of the things God has used in my life to keep me grounded because I am focused every single day at work on the power of words and the call to use the gifts God has given me, even if I don’t want to, even when I don’t feel like it, and even when I don’t feel qualified.

How I wish I had COMPEL all those many years ago when I first felt God tugging at my heart to vulnerably share the stories through my writing that He had written in my life through His grace and mercy. But I did have people in my life who believed in me, such as my sweet mom Barbara, who is who I talked about in today’s Proverbs 31 devotion. She has always supported and encouraged me, along with my kids and other people in my life, to follow my dreams. She has always made me feel like I matter and believed in my calling and that is what has kept me going in this journey  – not only to write and publish books, but to keep holding tight to my faith, boldly claiming God’s goodness even in the worst of times, and sharing God’s truths boldly and vulnerably even about the details of my life I would have rather kept secret.

Encouragement spurs people to move as God calls.

This year at COMPEL, we have COMPEL Training gift certificates available for purchase. I don’t want to sound like an advertisement at all and receive no personal or monetary benefit from the sales of these gift certificates, but I know with all my heart that there are women (and men) out there who feel called to write, but don’t see themselves as a writer. Who have a passion to write about what God has done in their life to help encourage others in the faith, but don’t feel qualified. People who have overcome overwhelming pain and adversity with God’s help and long to speak hope into other people’s lives through writing articles, blog posts, or books, and simply don’t know where to begin. People who need to know they are not alone in their desire to be a writer and are longing for community with thousands of other Christian writers to walk this journey with.

If you know someone who enjoys writing, is a seasoned or published writer, or just loves the art of words but can’t even call themselves a writer yet, might they benefit personally and spiritually by knowing that someone believes in them enough to give them a gift membership to the best writer’s training site that exists? (I’m not biased of course. Smiles.) But in all serious, a gift membership to COMPEL would be a huge gift to that special person who needs to know someone believes in their calling.

You can check out more information about COMPEL gift certificates BY CLICKING HERE.

If you purchase a gift membership for someone, you can choose when you want them to be notified so you can wrap up the beautiful gift certificate we will provide and put it under the tree to surprise them. It will be a gift they can enjoy for many months, a gift that won’t get put in the back of the closet in January, and most importantly, a gift that will equip them to follow God’s call on their life – and what better gift can someone receive than that?

Even if you don’t have a writer in your life, consider who else you know who is serving the Lord in a special way, selflessly meeting the needs of others, and being the hands and feet of Jesus. How can you encourage them today?

(If you have questions about COMPEL gift memberships, please email support@compeltraining.com)