I went to Realm Makers this past weekend!

For those of you who don’t know, Realm Makers is one of the biggest Christian Writing Conferences in the States. A whole bunch of nerds get together and do nerdy things like dress up, go to sessions by real authors and publishers, and most importantly, have the chance to pitch or sell their books. It’s great fun!

This was the first year I was able to attend because my school, The Company, had a booth at the expo. A single thought pierced my brain as I strolled into the conference center. I took in the large booths with impressive displays, saw fellow writers dressed to the nines in costumes and stylish outfits, and thought, “Wow. I don’t belong here.”

Ever have a thought like that?

You Don’t Belong Here.

I’m not as stylish as some of my friends. I don’t have cool costumes, or enjoy dressing up very much. All the way leading up to the conference, anxiety pushed and pulled at my stomach. It was like a thousand little bugs were crawling inside my intestines.

I’ve only been doing this whole “author thing” for a couple of years now, and more often than not, I feel a little bit like a fraud. “Sure, you’ve produced a book or two,” says the enemy. “But what makes you think you could ever do that again? These people around you, they’re the real authors. You don’t belong here with them.”

I got to the conference, and I looked around, and I couldn’t help but compare myself to the dozens of different authors that were already there. The ones with the cool displays or the big signs with their name printed in bold letters. I didn’t have any of that. What good was I? How do you combat a lie so potent? So real?

Prayer Meeting

Our mentor, Brad Pauquette, sat us down before the expo started for a meeting and to pray. In the meeting, he looked each of us in the eye and he said, “You belong here. You have earned your spot at this Expo. So say it. Say that you belong here.”

I’ll admit, I didn’t quite believe him. It felt like a nice sentiment, but these authors were so cool. Literally so freakin’ cool.

But then the Expo started, and we began talking to the other authors, and I realized something.

Everyone else was just as awkward as I was. (It’s a Christian conference of writers with a large homeschool population. Let’s be real, it doesn’t take long to find out how awkward everyone is.) We laugh at the wrong times, we misunderstand and say the wrong thing. We were all just trying our best to do what we love, and put out the story God placed on our hearts.

How cool is that?

Everyone was a person, just like me. Someone loved and adored by God. Even the “big-name” authors were just people, like me. And if everyone else was loved by God, what would make me so special to be the only person there who wasn’t?

Newsflash: I did belong there.

The lie “I don’t belong here” is bold in the fact that it’s pretty much completely untrue. Everyone feels it at some point. It’s not a unique experience. I’m sure that every person at Realm Makers at one point or another has felt like the odd man out. But God has called you by name. He died for you. Because he loves you, you belong with him.

No matter where God calls you, or what he has you do, guess what? If he’s with you, you belong. It’s just that simple. 🙂 So take a breath, and repeat after me.

“I am loved by God. He has called me into his family. I belong here.”

Want help overcoming lies like “I don’t belong here”? Check this out!

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Each time you think a thought, you reinforce it. That's why it's so hard to fight the enemy's lies on your own.

 

Each day, for 21 days, you'll get a short email with a biblical affirmation or truth! So let's break those nasty lies and start walking in the freedom God has called us to!

 

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