Entering a new season of our lives recently, I was reminded of how much support we need to be surrounded by. Support boosts success. I believe that is called community today.
When our family chose to move several hours away to raw land, it represented freedom, new starts, and dreams to fulfill. It also meant a lot of hard work since we are basically at retirement age. Daily challenges exist due to my blindness as well.
Our journey has been anything but normal. It entailed all of our adult children and their families joining us. Agreeing on a place where jobs were for all, access to stores and resources, and the weather everyone could deal with complicated matters some. So did trying to pack and move five households close to the same time.
The only way we can survive for future success is with the support of each other.
We work together or we don’t survive. No room for independence at this point.
Before, and for awhile after being diagnosed with a rare eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa at age nineteen, I believed I had to be independent. Dependency was weakness to me for quite some time.
I’m so thankful I learned how to accept the need, and benefit, of support from others, over believing I could and should do everything independently. Talk about a false belief!
We need each other. God never meant for man to be alone.
This realization set me free to serve God in my calling as a pastor’s wife, a mom and grandma, and in writing.
Of course, if I had paid attention to one of the greatest leaders in the Bible, I would have learned this fact much sooner.
Moses Had Great Support
The image that comes to my mind when I think of Moses is when Moses had to keep his rod raised for the Israelites to win the battle against the Amalekites.
I can’t begin to imagine. My arms fall asleep quick when raised due to lack of circulation, yet others’ lives depended on Moses’s arm being held high.
Moses had to be thankful when his brother, Aaron, and Hur brought Moses a rock to sit upon. They also helped prop his arm upright when he grew tired.
Of course, his best support was God Himself, guiding him by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. God gave him direction and met with him regularly.
Throughout Moses’s life, he also had support from:
- His brother Aaron to speak for him
- His rod and staff
- Egyptian enemies gave silver and gold and other possessions
- Soldiers in battles
- Joshua’s leadership and assistance
- Father-in-law who gave advice on how to rule in smaller groups
- Judges to hear grievances
- Israelites material gifts and labor for tabernacle
Moses wasn’t alone. God surrounded him with support, and He does the same for you and me today.
Regardless of your calling, God has surrounded you with support also. He did it with my homeschooling, my ministry at church, and He has done it with my writing.
Writing Support
In order for me to write, I have to be surrounded by support, or words wouldn’t make it to you. While success can be defined differently, I consider it absolutely AMAZING as a blind person that I have a blog with more readers than I ever envisioned and have several books.
Here are some examples of the support surrounding me.
- My husband.
He found the technology I needed, provides the finances and emotional support, and ensures I have the time necessary to write. He even solves my computer jams, looks up verses, and edits my stuff occasionally. What a guy!
2. Writing coach.
R.J. Thesman coached me monthly for three years. Her insight, direction, and goal setting molded my writing.
3. Virtual Assistants.
These special people are a writer’s hands and feet. My first four years of blogging, I battled finding one with the skills matching my needs. This squelched my writing every time. Their knowledge and experience can make or break you. Then God led me to Callie at The Successful Mama. She does SEO, edits, posts, maintains my web site, creates graphics and PDFs, and does social media. Absolutely irreplaceable!
4. Publishers
Blindness prevents me from the formatting and uploading self-publishing requires. Support from DLD Editing and Self-Publishing Services made this dream a reality. Affordable, combined with experience with the blind and visually-impaired made them the perfect match. They create book covers also.
5. Tech Support
Casey from webfriendlyhelp.com cleans up my messes that are beyond my husband’s capabilities. Blind himself, he keeps up with all accessibility tools and uses them, allowing him to be an excellent teacher of new software and features also. Casey has already taught me how to use a screen reader, a new email service, Word, and many keyboard shortcuts.
And you had no idea it took this much support, did you? Or, you had no idea how much effort I have gone through to learn to write – for the greatest support of all . . . Y-O-U!!!
Can you imagine trying to edit my work when I can’t access the normal tools of other writers?
That is why the support of Christian Writer’s Fellowship, and their editing group meant the world to me. They went out of their way to figure out how to swap my manuscripts back and forth.
God is my greatest support. Without Him, I am nothing. All ideas come from Him.
Your Support Needs
Whether you are on a wild journey like my family is now moving to a new place at an inconvenient age, fighting difficult battles, raising challenging children, or everything is going smooth, you still need support.
Think about what your current support includes. Make a list.
This exercise will prepare you to answer the next question.
What are you called to do?
***Know God will send you the support you need. Pray and seek Him for who it might be. Ask Him to open doors.
Once He answers, remember to appreciate their value by thanking the one who gave them to you. I sure do!
If and when possible, tell them too.
Support from you in the form of shares, prayers, comments, and emails, and purchases of books or items from my shop is most definitely appreciated. I even accept and appreciate donations if and when God-led.
© 2023, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.
Leave a Reply