“I am nothing.  He is everything. I do nothing on my own.  He does it.  That is what I am:  God’s pencil…  However imperfect instruments we may be, He writes beautifully.”
~Mother Teresa
Ever since I can remember, thinking was what I did most.  Thinking, daydreaming, people watching, quiet contemplation, staring up into the starry skies in marvel…that’s me.  So, when it was time for me to put things down on paper, it was like Niagara Falls on a caffeine high.  For months I wrote down my opinion, thoughts, and observations on just about everything with no real thought of going anywhere with it but cyberspace.  Then I received a comment from a published screenplay writer and she agreed with me!  My confidence grew as I received more comments on my blog.  During this same time, a group of fellow Catholic bloggers started to accumulate as well as being a welcome addition to my fairly lonely life as a sole Catholic home educating mom.  It was a great escape for me to connect with and be inspired by my newfound friends while the kids did their schoolwork.  I began to feel part of something good, so I joined the Catholic Writer’s Guild in 2008 and attended my first online conference. During the conference, I learned that bloggers can be and are serious writers, too. Then it happened, a well-respected magazine accepted one of my articles; it was exciting and at the same time, intimidating: how was I ever going to do that again?  One year, then a second year went by with hardly an attempt worth revising had me spinning my wheels. Writing gives me pleasure and purpose, but a growing need to do more has me thinking.
Recently, I feel that God is telling me to go a specific direction, but I don’t know what direction that is.  Things that I have been reading lately have a theme of emptying oneself of the things self wants and listening more to what God wants.  Like the quote I began this post with, Mother Teresa had a way of letting the world know how humble she was with regard to her work and she passed it on to all those that would come from all over the world to volunteer under her direction in Calcutta.  We are all but pencils in God’s hands, allowing Him to guide us as we share our love for Him in our blogs, books, lectures, and whatever we do we should remember this.  Give all the glory to God, with prayer and supplication before and after we write, let our readers know that our words are His words, that what we write are out of and from love which is God.
Early next month, a couple of amazing events will take place in Rome, both the beatification of John Paul II (the great) and a meeting with the pontiff and a cross-section of Catholic Bloggers from all around the world.  Benedict has picked us personally to meet with and possibly give us a message to continue in our missions as writers, bloggers, and speakers for the Church.  It will be an exciting time for Catholic bloggers everywhere. It is vindicating that the Pontiff acknowledges us as part of the media network, of which I’m part.  So, for now I will be praying to the Holy Spirit to help me with my words that all I do be for His glory, the rest is just an evening filled with family, love, and a starry sky to get lost in.
Ebeth Weidner, a Master Catechist, freelance writer, and the author of “A Catholic Mom climbing the Pillars” blog where she shares her deep love and respect for the Catholic Church.  You can also find her writing at Catholicmom.com in her column “Pillar Talk” and a regular contributor with Catholic Lane.com.  She is the wife of a research scientist and mom of 3 great kids living on the coastal side of North Carolina.