Live Transformed: From Tiny Spark to Sustained Flame
Fuel the Calling God Has Given You
One of the reasons I love writing is that it often reveals what’s happening beneath the surface.
The struggles we face on the page are rarely just about writing.
They’re about trust.
Waiting.
Control.
Surrender.
Faithfulness.
As I read today’s guest post from my sweet friend Candice, I was reminded that the lessons she shares about writing are really lessons about living transformed.
My prayer is that you’ll read her words not just as advice for writers, but as an invitation to consider where God may be teaching you to trust His timing in your own life.
I have always been one who struggles with the all-or-nothing mindset. As soon as I get a spark about something, it must be done now and BIG. I tend to run ahead of God and fan the flame hard, pouring fuel on it myself instead of waiting on Him to lead me.
The problem is, I may think I know how to start the fire, and I may actually get it going on my own, but without the crucial elements it needs from God alone, it can lead to disaster and hurt me and others. Or it can even burn out, and the message God has given me never gets shared at all.
Writing was a calling on my heart from a young age. I’ve freelanced and blogged often throughout the years, but I never stayed steady. I grew discouraged easily. When distractions or comparisons got in the way, I would give up. If I missed one time posting for whatever reason or had writer’s block, I would feel like a failure and shrink away.
Over a decade ago, I got a spark. I built my own website and started posting all in one evening. It was exciting, but rushing into it led to burnout very quickly. I fueled the flame with the wrong things in the wrong timing, so I did not build a sustainable fire.
Since that time, God has been preparing me and working on my heart. He’s been giving me what I need to sustain the fire of my writing without letting it burn out.
Three years ago, He provided a writers group which sparked me to revisit my novel I began writing 14 years before but then abandoned. I started over and wrote the majority of it within a month. I finished the first draft that year before I paused.
Two years ago, I was prepared to go to my first writers conference. The ticket was booked, the hotel was paid for, and I was already starting my packing list because I have to plan for everything. But an emergency room visit was not in my plans.
My four-year-old broke her collarbone in the week before the conference. So I canceled the trip to take care of my child, and it was then that I started paying more attention to God’s timing and leading. Soon after that, I finished a second draft of my novel. And in my personal studies, I felt God saying to give Him my first fruits, to be sure my focus was on Him.
Last year, Stephanie brought up the writers’ conference again, and then I listened to a talk she gave that same week about embracing the calling. So, I signed up and booked another trip. That time I got to go, and it was a wonderful experience that really helped fan the flame of what God was doing in me with my writing. It also connected me with lovely people who have made a tremendous impact on my life as well.
Leading up to the conference, I had already felt God calling me back into sharing my writing publicly. The spark was there as it had always been. There was such excitement and urgency yet again to share what I was learning with others, but the main message I kept seeing this time was, “Wait on the Lord.” I wanted to make sure I got it right and followed the Lord’s leading with the spark, so I waited. In the waiting, I kept notes and made plans without a timing.
I still had to be careful about where I placed my attention. So easily, time with the Lord could turn into a place to glean writing ideas instead of just meeting with Him. I had to focus on giving God the first fruits of my time and energy, and delight in Him rather than just pouring fuel on the fire of my calling to write.
Every good thing flows from God’s grace. He gives us the time and talents that we have. He provides the platforms to share with others if that’s in His plan for us. It all starts with Him. It’s crucial to remember that the moments spent with God in relationship are the most significant in our daily walk through life and in our callings.
Yet, waiting is still difficult. So many things try to pull us in different directions while we wait. Past struggles would come to mind and discourage me. Also, an opportunity presented itself, but I didn’t know if it was a distraction at the time or the Lord’s leading, so I wrestled with it. I prayed for clarity and direction from Him. I sought wise counsel. And God showed me that His calling did not include that opportunity, so I released it, and my peace returned.
I continued to give God my first fruits, and when a specific date to share my writing publicly came to mind, I still waited to move forward until He confirmed it. During my Bible study one day, seemingly random verses came up in different things I was studying, but they went together, confirming my calling. Then a timeframe of waiting jumped out of what I was reading. I was skeptical, but I looked it up on the calendar, and the number of days ended up being the exact date I already had on my heart.
God made it clear, so I prepared and launched my Substack, The Swallow’s Home, on June 1st, 2025. I made the commitment to share weekly. Part of me was afraid I would run out of things to write about, but I knew from the start that God wanted me to build consistency, to make something sustainable for those who needed it most.
It’s been over a year, and even when I missed a few weeks because of illness, I got right back to posting, unlike how I would fall away completely in the past. It’s not perfect because I’m not perfect, but the ministry of The Swallow’s Home is to reach people who need healing and share Truth from the Gospel with them.
When we are hurting, we need a place to turn to and rest before we can heal. The Swallow’s Home is a place that I hope helps others remember to rest in Jesus and let Him work in their hearts. My prayer is that those who read it come to know our Father in a deep and intimate way and love Him all their lives.
My little corner of Substack may not be a huge platform, but that’s okay. God calls me to write, and I trust Him with the outcome. He is using it to reach others with His goodness for His glory. And I see the fruit it produces in the people who message me saying how something has touched them, and that encourages me more than anything.
I also trust God is working in my life through it. I told a friend recently that even if writing on Substack doesn’t grow into a large ministry, I know it has always been for a purpose. There are those whose lives are impacted by it, and I believe it’s also been for me to learn to trust God and His timing, to build consistency in my life, and to keep my focus on Him. I did not see it every step of the way, but throughout my faithfulness to follow His lead, He was faithfully transforming me.
Consistency over time makes more of a difference than we realize in the moment. Building a consistent flame has just as much to do with our growth and transformation as with the ones who will receive the light and heat from the fire itself. The only way I could build a fire with my writing that was sustainable was by seeking the Lord first, the Sustainer of all things.
Our daily walk with God is the most important foundation to fuel the calling He has placed inside us. Giving Him the first fruits of our time, energy, and any platform He gives us sets up the fire to burn bright and share its warmth with many souls.
Little by little…today’s choices impact lives tomorrow. Keeping God first and following where He leads makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others for His glory. There is no greater calling. And it all starts with a tiny spark.
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!…For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:33, 36 NASB
Reflection Questions
What is your spark?
What calling has God placed on your life?
How are you tending the flame to sustain it?
I love Candice’s reminder that sustainable growth comes from seeking the Lord first and trusting His timing.
Candice and I go wayyy back—back to the days of blogs, big dreams, and before either of us had children. Last year, after nearly a decade of online friendship, I finally got to meet her in person. It’s been such a gift to encourage one another through different seasons of writing, motherhood, and faith.
As I read her story, I couldn’t help but think about how many writers I’ve talked to over the years who have wondered if they missed their chance. Life got busy. Responsibilities piled up. Writing took a back seat.
If that’s you, I want to encourage you with a resource I recently had the opportunity to contribute to.
CJ and Shelley Hitz invited me to be one of the contributors to a devotional called Still Called to Write. My entry is titled, “If He Called You to It” and is for anyone who has ever wondered whether the calling to write is still there after a season away.
The devotional includes encouragement from more than 20 writers, along with Scripture reflections, prayers, and journaling prompts to help you reconnect with the calling God has placed on your heart.
You can download your free copy here:
Maybe it’s exactly the encouragement you need in this season.
Until next time, friends! Keep writing, keep creating, and keep showing up…one page at a time!
 | A guest post by
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Thank you so much, Stephanie, for allowing me to share my journey!
Amen and amen! "Keeping God first and following where He leads makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others for His glory. There is no greater calling. And it all starts with a tiny spark."
May you continue to pay attention to that spark and let your light shine!
You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. (Matthew 5:14 MSG)