We are God’s Instruments

“In all humility we will do what we can, and in all humility we will entrust the rest to the Lord.” Pope Benedict XVI, God Is Love: Deus Caritas Est

Surrendering my life to God, to a certain degree, frees me from worrying about tomorrow. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “It is God who governs the world, not we. We offer Him our service only to the extent that we can, and for as long as He grants us the strength.” We are His instruments, and if we surrender ourselves to Him, He will lead the way. 

There are many times when I feel discouraged because things are not working out the way that I thought they would. Last year, I sent out my finished manuscript to three different publishers. Every time I received a rejection, I felt discouraged. After the last rejection, I lost the courage to submit it to a fourth publisher. Even though hope was my theme for 2022, I felt hopeless.

Last month, out of the blue, I received a phone call from a friend of a friend who wanted to know how to go about publishing her own book. I told her that I was probably the least likely person to offer her advice since my book had not been published. But we talked for a while and she said something that made me reflect. Why do I want to publish my book? The main reason is that I want to share God’s message with as many people as possible. I did not write the book to make money or to become famous. On the contrary, popularity scares me, and my plan was always to donate the book royalties if there were any. 

I ended up sharing with her all the research that I had done regarding Catholic publishers. Each has its own set of rules and  requirements. But once we hung up, I felt like I had received more help than I had given her. She gave me the courage to try with one more publisher. Tan Books now has my manuscript. But if it doesn’t work out, I will attempt to self-publish it. I learned from her that self-publishing an e-book is actually free. If anyone buys it, I receive a small royalty. 

Now, I just have to wait for Tan Books to get back to me, but even if I receive another rejection, I will not be discouraged. While I wait, I will start researching how to go about self-publishing. I will be ready with Plan B. And I don’t need to worry because I am just God’s instrument, and He will lead the way. I’m surrendering and entrusting my book to Him. 

Thank You Lord, for placing this unexpected angel on my path. It has freed me from feeling discouraged, and worrying about tomorrow. As St. Ignatius said it so well: “Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.”

Copyright © 2023 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.