A book is thousands of words that come to be known as a few words; or possibly as one word. A book is known as however many words the writer chooses for its title.
For the first year of its life, “Spiritual Longing in a Woman’s World” was known in my head as “Joy Comes in the Morning”. Names change. This is true when you are formulating a name for a child. Tom may have been Ella, Sam may have been Hannah, and Karis may have been Adam. Only the last chosen name matters.
Here is how the last chosen title came to be. It’s a long/short story.
We bought a dog. He needed walking. I needed walks.
One day on a walk on the corner closest to my house, the words “spiritual” and “longing” were given to me. Words are gifts, you know. Paul speaks of words given to him as a revelation in Galatians 1. Mary Oliver spoke of the famous poem “Wild Geese” as a set of words given to her. These two words that now begin the title of my book were simply given to me in the quiet space of a walk. The next words, “in a woman’s world” quickly followed.
Spiritual because we are spirit-filled bodies. We are so much more than limbs and brains. Longing because we are created for longing. We are created to long for only one thing: the love of God. And yet, so many other longings get in the way. We long for perfection, a different image, more money or power, for happiness. None of these longings fill us. Only the love of God meets the deep longing in our spirit-filled bodies.
On a walk, those two words were given to me. Words are not reserved for writers. I have a hunch there are words God has for you today. Words that meet that deep need in your soul. Words needed for healing, guidance, strength. Words for peace, hope, or mercy. Whatever words you need, you will know them when you hear them. They will be given to you.
Words meet you in the quiet spaces of your life. When you set down your device, take a deep breath or 20, and sit still. If your mind is too chatty for too long, there is no space for the words to get to you. Ask a partner, a neighbor, or a friend to help you locate the quiet space. We do need help to clear adequate space for quiet. You are not needy to need quiet space. You are human, therefore you require quiet space to let the words find you. God gives you people in your life who are there to do such things as clear quiet space for you.
I hope you judge this book by its cover and find yourself some quiet space. Let the words, the ones you need today, find you there.
Lisa Lewton 