I Was Never the Quarterback

Schools highlight quarterbacks to represent athleticism, but He never limits His superstars. God wants all of us out on the field wearing His jersey so that His glory, His creativity can be seen.

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I used to think of creativity the way I did athletics. In high school, Devin Poller, Kelsey Bridges, and Paula Bekomsky were athletes. Their names recycled on the morning announcements like 1st-period vitamins. When they were recruited to name-brand universities, it was all anyone talked about in homeroom. So while I could hold my own in 7th-grade softball, I wasn’t Kelsey Bridges. I wasn’t an athlete.

Writing felt the same. I was good enough to be noticed by teachers, grandparents, and the occasional birthday-card recipient. But in no terms would I have called myself “a writer.” No-no. Shauna Niequist is a writerFrancine Rivers is a writer. I was a high school English teacher and, like, dabbled in writing.

And then Kingdom Winds tapped me on the shoulder.

It was the summer of 2017 when I met Beth Suess and learned about the digital platform. She talked about the support of every creative, no matter his/her station. She talked about the publishing company and the advisory services. She said that Kingdom Winds intended to provide the creative real estate and marketplace for the Lord’s glory and that I could be a part of it if I wanted to.

Oh. Ha. Um. YES!!!

I felt a bubbly kind of giddiness—the same kind of dreaminess you have when you’re 14 and your crush just so happens to sit next to you on the gym bleachers. I poured over the journal pages I’d stuffed away like day-old receipts, seeing my words for more than just the scribbles of a side hobby. My confidence increased, and I took risks with new genres. I began listening to the Father when he said, “You’re a writer, Rachael. Writing is something I created you to do.”

I never believed Him before. Partially because it felt embarrassing to declare new dreams as an adult and partially because I hadn’t been a superstar. Let’s remember: I wasn’t a Kelsey Bridges in softball or writing. The world never saw me as such.

But the more I work for Kingdom Winds, the more I realized that the Father despises a celebrity culture. Schools highlight quarterbacks to represent athleticism, but Kingdom Winds never hand selects God’s superstars. Our Father wants all of us out on the field wearing His jersey so that His glory, His creativity can be seen.

When people ask me, “So Rachael, what is it that you do?” I get excited. I get pumped. I sit up and smile and explain in anticipation that my job is about the support of every creative, no matter his/her station. And I watch that silly-in-love look I know so well show up on their face.

 

 

Featured Image by Riley McCullough

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