Deep:  Self-control  is not the same thing as self-doubt; but sometimes we get the two mixed up.  Honestly, think about it.  Self doubt holds us back when we ought to be out there spreading good cheer.  Self control is knowing how and when to step out there so that we can do something worthwhile, all the time being true to ourselves.

Not so deep:  Sitting on the porch swing last June, reading the blog post entitled “Alligators Don’t Peep” aloud to my husband.  When we had stopped laughing so hard we were crying, he turned to me and asked, “Why don’t you?”

I said, “Why don’t I what?”

To which he answered, “Why don’t you write this as a children’s book?”  What a blessing this man is in my life!!!  Pop on back here in the blog if you have forgotten the back story for this sweet little project.

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So, with the help of some absolutely amazing people, I did it!  Wrote that children’s book I had been dreaming about for most of my life!

I had a ton of self doubts that led to questions about it over the last year…….not the least of which was:

“Who can I get to illustrate it?????”

I couldn’t imagine anyone being interested in a haphazard, fly by the seat of your pants endeavor like this!  Then I just relaxed and one person’s face came to mind.  I called her, and, despite her later declaring that she almost never makes snap decisions, she said yes right away. Didn’t hesitate. Was flattered to say the least.  Brought the story to life like magic.  Take a look at one of her illustrations here:

Illustrator, check!  She is amazing!!   I adore what she did!   Every single Fruit of the Spirit was evidenced in this 6 month process – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

“How do I go about getting this book into people’s hands?”

Enter self doubt:  I can’t do this!!  It is too much, and it is too complicated!! This is called publishing – eek!!  I didn’t even know there was such a thing as self-publishing, or what a copyright really meant; or what an ISBN number is.  All I knew is that I really wanted to write a children’s book. A giant learning curve later, and I finally understand Self Control.  It took some serious trial and error, research, and questioning of many folks to get our answers.  Pretty soon we are going to be able to offer our book for sale on Amazon!  How incredible is that????

“How will it be received?”

This is probably the least of my self doubt issues, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind.  I love this story, and I got a giant hug and a “You did it Grammy!!” from my sweet 9 year old granddaughter.  That was enough for me to feel successful, and beyond that this adorable story has been sweetly received by friends and family.  We did it!!!

Self Control – the final installment in my posts on The Fruits of the Spirit. How blessed I am to have so many amazing folks in my life who have helped teach me these beautiful lessons!