By Patricia Hartman
The pen sat on the carpeted floor, too heavy to lift. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
For twenty minutes, I stared at it, sure I was unable to carry the weight of the mantle it represented.
No, I wasn’t accepting a commission to lead millions out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Or was I?
In my doubt, God pointed to my pen like He did with Moses’ staff in Exodus 4:2 and asked, “What is that you have in your hand?”
Not Just Another Stick
The staff was an ordinary stick—likely a big one that could fend off a lion attacking sheep—but still a stick, nonetheless.
God demonstrated His power by turning wood into a snake. What did Moses do? He ran from it. Is that what I was doing?
God uses our ink-filled stick to yield His power. It can bless or curse, formalize a birth certificate or a last will and testament, draft a love note or a suicide note. With God’s power, the pen declares God’s righteousness, delivers the lost from sin to hope, or just entertains in a way that brings the fruit of God’s love.
Who Me? What If They Don’t Listen?
What Christian writer, speaker, or pastor hasn’t been tormented by these questions when called?
But the call wasn’t new. There was trouble in River City. The bondage had become unbearable, and God’s people needed deliverance. Would my words lead His people out of the bondage of sin? No, my words wouldn’t. But God was offering His words and power when I obeyed the call.
Was I worthy? Moses was an unworthy murderer—a fugitive from Egyptian law hiding in the Midian wilderness. What if they find out who I really am? Can’t I just live in my obscurity? If someone happens to stumble across my words, fine. But build a platform for all to see?
What would happen if I didn’t write, speak, and promote? Would His people remain stuck in their troubles? Would His message ever be heard?
The Power to Bless or Curse
With our pens, we illustrate the consequences of disobedience—the plagues God put on Egypt.
We can raise our pens and voices to part the sea and lead His people into a land of hope. But what if we deliver a message God didn’t give us? Moses struck the rock to bring forth water for his thirsty sojourners, but God had instructed Moses to only speak to—not strike—the rock.
Moses’ disobedience blocked his path to the Promised Land. Do I wield God’s stick rightly?
How About You?
Yes, the mantle is heavy. But God empowered me with all I need to do His good work.
So, relying on His promise, I picked up the pen and I listened.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:14–16 (NASB).
Forensic CPA Patricia Hartman is an award-winning suspense and non-fiction author. She’s currently collaborating with Ilena Alvarez, Esq. on a tax/law book for writers and speakers being released in 2025.
