No Comparison: Lessons from Conference

"Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. 5 Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life" (Gal 6:4-5 (from THE MESSAGE))

Fearless Fiction Writers--No Comparison

At the ACFW conference--a Christian writers' conference , I had the opportunity to sit in my continuing ed session for a grand total of five minutes. Literally. During that time, Karen Ball said, "Do not compare yourself with anyone." That message changed my life.

Revolutionary quote? Maybe not.  But God spoke it to me in an indelible manner. She uttered a truth God proceeded to demonstrate throughout the conference. 

1.  The Genesis Winner. I sat in the cafe with a dear friend who'd been writing her whole life, and she had ten completed manuscripts that had so far netted no agent and no contract. This year she won Genesis--a contest for unpublished writers. Her time in the trenches will end. Soon.
2. The Contract Deal. During one dinner, our emcee, announced a call another writer received--her first two-book contract. She announced the name of the author, and my immediate thought was, "What does this woman have to do with the unpublished author?"  The answer was everything. She received the deal. After having  taught, mentored, served on the Board--after having networked and encouraged others, her day came.
3. The Falling Into Your Lap. My roommate announced to the world after her first conference she had been given a contract with a popular agent. A few months later, he actually offered her the contract she thought she had.  Her "oops" mistake turned prophetic. One conference--one manuscript (that semi-finaled in Genesis), and she got what she needed.

 God sets our lives on a course. Once we recognize it, we must walk it. Because it doesn't follow our plans, because others succeed when we fail, does not measure our failure. We need to be faithful to our calling (and this does not apply only to writers), and in due season we will reap the windfalls.

What are your (no ) comparison moments?