I shook it. I knocked it gently, sideways on the top of the desk. I licked a piece of paper and wrote carefully in the moisture (I can’t tell you why this works, but it usually does). I repeated each procedure without results. Then I carried the pen to the sink, took it apart, and carefully flushed out the point. Refilling it, I sat down to write.
How like me, I thought with exasperation.
I have mugs full of pens on my desk: ballpoints, felt tips, ink pens—even pencils. But for very fine writing, such as notes in the margin of my Bible, I need a Rapidograph pen. This pen has a needle-fine point and uses India ink, which will not seep through or smear on the thin India paper.
How often when God has needed me I have been clogged up (too busy or inundated with things, the necessary giving way to the unnecessary). Or I’ve gone dry.
When that happens I need a “shaking up”; or I need special cleansing. And I need to be filled and refilled and filled again.
There are times God has patiently and carefully done just that. There are other times when he has had to pass me over and pick up a pen that was usable.
But unlike a pen, I do have a choice. I can decide whether or not I remain usable.
Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
Our digital archives are a work in progress. Let us know if corrections need to be made.
Annual & Monthly subscriptions available.
- Print & Digital Issues of CT magazine
- Complete access to every article on ChristianityToday.com
- Unlimited access to 65+ years of CT’s online archives
- Member-only special issues
- Learn more
More from this Issue
Read These Next
- TrendingAmerican Christians Should Stand with Israel under AttackWhile we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
- From the MagazineI Wanted a Bigger God Than My Hindu Guru OfferedAs my doubts about his teachings grew, so did a secret fascination with Jesus.
- Editor's PickWhere Worship Doesn’t TranslateHow groups like Hillsong learned to let go of the literal in favor of creative collaboration.españolPortuguês