Everyone should learn to write. I know, I know! Many of you are groaning at this thought, having just spent hours working with your child on his current writing project, ending in tears and frustration! Perhaps you’re cringing at flashbacks from your high school days when you were assigned an x-number-of-words essay. Although, for most, writing is a hard task, it’s one worth doing.
Whether or not we realize it, we all benefit from having cultivated the skill of putting our thoughts to pen and paper (or keyboard). Perhaps you own your own online business and are trying to accrue a following. You write a monthly email to let your customers know what’s new and notable. Maybe you want to start your own business. You compose a business proposal. When you are asked to lead the next discussion at your small group gathering, you jot down a list of topics and questions. Your friend’s son asks you do be his reference for a summer camp he’d like to attend, so you fill out the form he gives you. What’s the common denominator in all of this? Each one requires you write down words.
Learning to write will set you up for success in any area of your life, even strange areas. Pursuing his dream to become a Maine Guide, a friend of mine studied and studied for the exam. He knew the material inside and out, yet he didn’t pass his test. Why? He failed the essay portion. The need to communicate thoughts in an organized way will never disappear. This is why practicing the skill of writing is so beneficial! Forcing us to slow down and ruminate on a thought, it trains our mind to think more deeply and then to sort and organize. It expands our ability to communicate in a clear way. When composing a persuasive essay, you are forced to think about both sides of an argument. Often, thoughts are hard to express, but writing gives you agency to work through them until you’ve discovered a way to state them. It fosters good communication, thorough thinking and better expression. As Christ-followers, we are expected to share the gospel in word and in deed. The practice of writing helps us do just that.
So, when you’re slogging through another session of editing with your resistant student, let this thought bolster you and help you persevere: we are becoming better thinkers and communicators, thus shaping a heart and mind for the service of Christ.