Blogging is going to take some practice.

I’ll be honest with you: I have saved around 20 documents, full of my pondering thoughts and unseen attempts at ‘blogging,’ across 3 computers.

I love writing. I love slowing down. I delight in the way that God speaks to me, through pen and paper. Slowly, His presence takes control of my pen. Without force, His power helps me hit a sequence of keys, in one perfect order. I don’t know how He does it, but there is nothing quite so wonderful as capturing a smidge of who God is, in a bunch of heart-spilled letters and lines.

I’ll dare to say it: there is more joy in writing than I could have ever expected.

I’m not a master of words. I can’t seem to conjure up a sense of wild, mystery like Percy Shelley, or other British romantic poets. I marvel at works that can surprise and create delightful suspense, for pages and pages. I find myself unable to achieve such wonder.

I’m not a Queen of words.

I am Bethany Rachel Coppenhall.

I am clumsy. I step on people’s toes by accident. I regularly spill food on my clothes at dinner, regardless of the fact that I am nearly 26 years old.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, which means I tend to say the wrong thing, in the heat of a passionate moment. And I am passionate about a lot of things. Holiness. Sacred moments. Broken hearts. Stories. People.

I mess up. I struggle to carry the weight of my call with grace.

I am not a great writer, but I’m starting to notice what happens when I open up word documents, and trust that God has gone before me. I’m beginning to realise that I don’t need to be a perfect writer.

A messy heart is still a beautiful heart, when God dwells within.

And to prove the above: I want to tell you a story about my goals for 2018.

Setting Goals

I began to craft a set of 10 goals on a dark Sunday in December 2017. I sat next to my Christmas tree, red tinsel and white lights glittering gently.

I should tell you – I am a marketer. So I set goals that had start dates, end dates and frequencies.

I’ll give you a select, sneak-peak:

“Write 26 blog posts by December 2018, one every 2 weeks.

Read 52 books in 52 weeks, one a week.

Go on 12 walks with my husband, one every month.”

Oh yeah, I was planning my next burnout, detail by detail. The list went on to include perfect scenarios, in which I would achieve more than humanly possible in a one-off, smash hit year.

But then… a niggle.

Boxing Day morning. I woke up pulled out my blue journal and began to ask God: “what do you think about my 10 goals?”

As I wrote, words appeared on my page as a Father speaks to his Daughter. It was like writing words that had come direct from heaven. God took my 10 potentially un-achievable goals, and He made them beautiful.

He began to tell me that I was made to write something holy. That I didn’t have to force words, I just had to sit and wait for Him. Watch what He is doing and jot it down. That was all there was too it.

He said writing a blog wasn’t about me, it was about us – Father and Daughter – doing something together. It was about laying down my life and slowing down my life. It was an invitation to create, not a pressure-plugged prize.

God told me to be careful and selective in my reading. There are things that He actually doesn’t want me to read. I should shut off the scrolling and enjoy reading books he leads me to. The number of books I read this year does not matter, but what I read really does matter to Him.

God said that the 12 walks was a good idea. Hanging out with my husband is a wise idea. Prioritising this is even better.

My 2018 Goals

Below you will find my 10 goals for 2018, newly refined by God. Some really personal bits have been extracted. I hope these goals might speak to someone else reading this, too.

1. Be intentional about spending time with my husband. Plan 12 long walking days and discover the English countryside together.
2. Read intentionally. Don’t read out of fear, read out of joy. Pray about what you should and should not be reading.
3. Practice Holy Writing. Set aside space to connect with God. Be a slow writer, come empty. Wait upon the Lord. Create holy, sacred space. God-writing comes out of that.
4. Aim for trust and connection. Be who He made you to be. Be in constant communion, pray about everything. Just be.
5. Give thanks. Thank God for what He has given you. Don’t overlook the fruit in your life. You can only do what you are called to do – no more or no less.
6. Partner with God at work then you will find joy in the creation process. Do what you see the Father doing.
7. Understand what God says about leadership – particularly women in leadership. What is the move of God here?
8. Be accountable for your health.
9. Read scripture. Read it with your husband. Memorise it. Cover yourselves in it. Say it out loud. You are in a battle. Make scripture your battle cry.
10. Always be open to what God wants to do in your family.

God Goes Before Me

I believe that this first blog post of 2018 should be a declaration: My God has gone before me.

Jesus has gone before me.

I don’t know what will happen. There is mystery before me, in this New Year ahead. But I want this to be a declaration that I am committed to trusting that God has gone before my every word. He is calling me to write out my heart and as much as I don’t like the feeling of being exposed, I am saying: “yes, God. I trust that you know what you are doing. God, I trust that you have gone before me.”

God Goes Before YOU, Too.

In the book of Deuteronomy, it reads:

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Truth be told: I also wanted to publish this blog post for all the creative goal-setters out there. I want you to know that God has better goals, better ideas to give you. He has gone before you, too.

My challenge to you – ask God what He thinks about your artwork, your writing or that play you are directing this year.

Ask Him, and trust the first thing that pops into your head. If it is encouraging, doesn’t go against what scripture says and starts a fire in your soul – it’s God.

Writ down what He says. Follow His lead.

I was amazed at how God wanted to be involved in my creative dreams, and I want you to feel that too.

Conclusion

Sure, blogging is going to take some practice.

But I have God on my side. He takes my mess and makes it beautiful and He molds my goals into adventures that I can share with Him.

My prayer is that you would trust God for your creativity, and with your creativity. Let Him lead you into new and fresh ideas. Let Him show you wonder in all that you do.

Let Him set a fire in your creative soul.

Let Him put purpose into your gorgeously, wild passion.

P.S. When planning my goals, God also spoke to me through 2 Youtube interviews one of which I have seen before, by Ann Voskamp. And another through Jeremy Riddle which spoke to this weighty call of ‘writer’ I’ve been wrestling with. You can find them here: Riddle, Voskamp.