Redefining Thick Skin

Becoming a writer is the fastest path to humility–ask me how I know! There are so many opportunities to cultivate this virtue from harsh critiques and contest losses, to bad reviews and rejections. After my latest rejection last week, I finally learned something new.

Ask anyone in the writing world and they’ll tell you that developing thick skin is a must. There are literally endless ways to get crushed in this business if you don’t learn how to roll with the punches and keep writing, which is why I’ve written about it before.

I suppose it’s the same in any arena or career path, in any pursuit that’s worth putting your heart into. After all, when you devote your time and your life to something, you want to see results. You EXPECT to see results.

But I’ve discovered that maybe thick skin isn’t so much about developing a hard shell as it is about learning to humbly receive whatever God allows to come our way. Maybe it’s not being so attached to our worldly pursuits that we lose our peace when circumstances don’t go as we’d hoped.

Maybe thick skin is taking the day blow-by-blow and still having joy, loving God and loving people, even when we’re hurt.

It doesn’t mean we don’t feel–and feel deeply–when circumstances don’t go our way. But we don’t allow the sting to knock us off our game and shift our focus away from what really matters.

Doing all things as unto the Lord matters. Heavenly pursuits matter. Having a Christ-centered life matters.

If you’re struggling today with gracefully accepting some of the hard knocks that have come your way, you’re in good company. I’ve been there more times than I’d like to count. The good news is, we can recover! We can learn to receive what happens in your life as events that will make us more like Christ.

And maybe–just maybe–a subtle shift in perspective will help us get there.