On Being a Contemplative Writer

Nov 9 2017 • 27 mins

Both writing and the Christian tradition of contemplative prayer depend on us facing our fears and anxieties, and the path to healing is about going through our pain rather than numbing it or distracting ourselves from it.

What does contemplation have to do with it?

Ed has long struggled with anxiety from his parent’s contentious divorce and from various incidents that involved them during his high school years. Writing and prayer have served as vital outlets that have enabled him to become more aware of his anxiety, its sources, and the potential solutions.
Contemplation helps us become present in the moment so that we can receive God’s love, while writing demands that we stay in the present moment in order to fully see and process our stories or ideas.
Writing helps refine ideas so that you can better pray with eyes wide open. In addition, the quiet and stillness of contemplative prayer often uncovers hidden places in your life that need to be explored further in through writing.
Why Brennan Manning’s The Furious Longing of God is his favorite inspirational book.
It takes a lot of discipline to create a space in your mind to let ideas take shape so when you sit down to write you have raw materials to work with.

Listen to the episode for the full story.

Stacy’s Journal

Welcome to Stacy’s Journal! In this segment, I let you peek into my journal as I share my thoughts on a topic or resilience resource. I really liked Ed’s take on healing. He believes that the path to healing is about going through our pain rather than numbing it or distracting ourselves from it. Contemplation helps us become present in the moment and that, in turn, helps us discover places that need to be explored further in writing.

There are so many times we try to gloss over our hurts, or past difficulties. We just try to get through them and then ignore them. Or squeeze those tough times into a small place at the back of our mind and just hope that they don’t pop back out. But, when we do that, we aren’t truly recovering from those times. We aren’t resolving that conflict, we’re ignoring it. It hurts us in ways we don’t even realize.

Research has proven that pulling that pain out, and the simple act of writing about your feelings, even a short amount, is incredibly beneficial. We know that it even boosts your immune system! I encourage you to try it out. Think back to a tough time in your life, or a time when someone hurt you, and write about your feelings. In other words, lean in to get through.

That’s all we have for today. Last episode, Evan Hanson discussed the two journeys to manhood – so if you’re raising boys, or know someone who is, you might want to go back and have a listen. Next week, we’ll interview Radney Foster, a legendary country music singer/songwriter.

I love interacting with our listeners on social media. We’re on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and just about anywhere you can hold a great virtual conversation. Plus, I answer all my emails personally, so feel free to email me: stacy{at}stacybrookman{dot}com.