It would be great to write a best-seller. What aspiring author doesn’t dream of one day seeing her name topping the chart in the New York Times? But nobody starts there.

And believing that you should only write something that thousands upon thousands will read is kind of like a garage band refusing to play any gig that is not for a sold-out, arena-sized crowd. Wherever there are people who enjoy their music, a new band is happy to play for them. They’re even happier when, and if, they get paid.

It reminds me of a quotation from Zechariah 4:10, “For who has despised the day of small things?” I find that is awfully easy to do. To believe that my writing doesn’t really count because I’m an indie author who is just getting started, instead of recognizing that blessing even a few hundred readers is an amazing privilege. Really, giving even one reader joy is worth something.

So I will continue to press on, giving thanks for and rejoicing in each new stepping stone along the path, while I remind myself that success comes, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)

And really, far more than seeing my name in the New York Times, my heart longs to hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have invested your talents well.”