Stop That Incessant Pecking!

Recently, I came across a website called "Grammarly".  After a little research, I discovered that it is a site designed to edit manuscripts while targeting grammar, spelling, word usage, passive voice usage, commonly confused words and much more.  Naturally, this service comes with a price tag, and while it is affordable, I'm just not at the place where I want to fork out the money for it.  Thankfully, I didn't have to.  The site provides a 7-day free trial, so I timed it out just right and signed up for the free trial when I was sure I'd have the most time to work on editing my current projects.  I wanted to get the most out of my free trial.

All last week, I was glued to my computer, uploading files, correcting them, and then saving the corrected version.  Book after book.  Chapter after chapter.  Page after page.  The website was great, and while it found several errors that weren't really errors at all, it also found a lot of mistakes that I probably would have missed when reading through it myself.  (It's funny how the eye sees what it wants to see instead of what is actually there.)

The process was tedious in itself, but it was made even more so by the woodpecker that decided he wanted to peck a hole in the corner of my house. . . right outside my office.  Day after day and hour after hour he pecked.  He pecked in the morning, in the afternoon and well into the evening.  You would think his head would have begun to hurt or that his beak would have gotten tired, but no, he was fine.  I, however, was not.  I was frustrated and distracted.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to do precise editing with a loud "tap, tap, tap, tap, tap" going on outside your window?  If I weren't such an animal lover, I would have probably strangled the woodpecker and given it to Mitch for a chew toy.  I thought I was going to lose my mind!

Isn't it just like the devil to throw distractions in our way when we're on a mission to serve the Lord?  This trial presented me with the opportunity to get free editing for three books on which I'm currently working.  Sure, the week was busy and hectic, but the service made it possible for me to bring these projects to conclusion much sooner than I could have otherwise.  That means more inspiration, encouragement and hope available in the marketplace.  It means another method for me to be a witness.  It means spreading the message of Christ.  And Satan doesn't want me to succeed.  In fact, he doesn't want you to succeed either.  Whatever it is you're trying to accomplish for the Lord, Satan will try to hinder it.  He'll throw distractions of every size and shape in your path.  It may be a delay.  It may be a sickness.  It may be a simple woodpecker.  But be warned, the devil is on the prowl, and we Christians are his prey. Let's not let him get the victory.  Be on guard, and if all else fails, try some ear plugs!