A communicator’s work can be rewarding and exhausting, fulfilling and demoralizing, full of accolades or the hollow sound of silence. There are times I sit in front of my screen thinking:
No one is going to read this. Why write?

I recently heard this from my pastor and it stuck with me:

“Giftedness leads to outcomes.
Faithfulness leads to fruitfulness.”

Am I looking for specific outcomes?
Comments, shares, book sales, speaking gigs, submissions accepted, book contracts offered and signed.

Or am I looking for fruit?
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Am I depending on my giftedness to achieve what I think I want?
Or am I choosing to be faithful and trust that I will see fruit?

The fruit can come in two ways:
In my own heart.
And in the people who might read or hear what I share.

I might be able to orchestrate some outcomes.
But fruit?
That is out of my control completely and it can’t be quantified.

But when I see evidence of fruit?
It blows me away.

Have you ever written something and it seems it was actually for you?
It challenged you to pursue joy or gentleness?

That’s fruit.

Has someone said to you,
“Your words really made me stop and think about my choices.”

That’s fruit.

Have you received an email that said:
It was like you reached into my heart and knew exactly what I needed to hear.

That’s fruit.

We may get the outcomes we desire and we may not.
However, I can’t trust in outcomes, no matter how low or high the numbers might be.

And the truth is, many times we are simply the sower of seeds —
we don’t always get to see the fruit.

So what’s a communicator to do?

Be faithful.
Keep writing.
Keep speaking.
Let go of the outcome.

In the spirit of encouragement here is free download from Bethany. Post this where it might encourage your heart and your work. Bethany would love to see a picture of your workspace if you choose to display the download. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fuelforjoy/or on Instagram @bethany_kindle_it.

Bethany Howard lives in Tucker, Georgia, with her family. She savors chocolate, the perfect sentence and tickling her kids. She doesn’t love baking, cleaning or organizing. She keeps it real with her posts at bethanyhoward.com and considers every opportunity to communicate hope and encouragement to be both a responsibility and blessing. If you are ever in the Atlanta area, she would love to chat over coffee.