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December 1, 2011

The Gift of a Writing Partner

by Kelli Zaniel



What I love about God is how He chooses to use picked-over-people like us. We’re all clearance rack material…that is until God plucks us from beneath the rags to show the world just how capable He is. God saw the potential in Moses who stuttered; Gideon who doubted; and Peter who bragged. God saw something in them no one else saw, and He used their lives for an eternal purpose.  

God sees great potential in us too.

He must have been twirling clearance racks and picking through piles before choosing this mama for writing. A few years ago, my laundry-folding, potato-peeling days were interrupted by the call of my heart to write…for moms. At this time in my life, untangled hair and clean hands makes me happy, how could I do this? I mean, some days I feel like Scarlett O’Hara after the burning of Atlanta. I guess the difference is she shakes her fist while digging her heel into scorched earth…I dig my slipper into smelly laundry. Fiddle-dee-dee! 

In a home a few miles away, my friend Heidi attempts to tame her own wild kingdom. She has a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and globs of Dermalogica on the floor. In the midst of her mess, she too feels a tug towards the pen.

The lives of two crazed mamas collide with big dreams. Just like Moses and Peter… we have issues. But since God recruits people with issues, we’re perfect for the job!

One moment we’re knee deep in bread flour and then next we’re doing more than we ever dreamed possible. God alone breathes new energy into wrung out women like us. He empties himself into the pores of our soul. He leads us on adventures we never imagined ourselves taking.

Balancing writing and family is hard.

Our partnership allows us the freedom of expression without stealing time away from our families. After all, they are our first God-given assignment. Heidi strings along words into a blog one week, and I the next. This way we’re able to balance our priorities. For us, it works.

Heidi and I are humbled that two unqualified, strung-out-mamas can work together to do more together than we ever could apart.

Clearance rack material yields priceless miracle-designed-moments. They transform us from the inside out and we’re never the same. Heidi and I know, because that’s how Mothers on Mission began.
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Kelli is co-founder of Mothers on Mission. Her Southern heart was born in Georgia but now makes its home in Nevada along with her husband and three daughters. She is a popular blogger who loves to challenge and inspire women, especially moms. 

Visit with her on Facebook or her blog.

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