From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Finding Peace in Your Writing Journey

We all long for peace. A calm in the chaos.

For the moments where the kiddos aren’t screaming and the work emails answer themselves.

Or those glorious moments when no one asks us what’s for dinner while we’re knee-deep in crisis mode.

All those plates you’ve managed to balance oh-so-well come crashing down and you’re torn between unleashing mom-rage on the household or sobbing into the laundry pile.

Those scenarios might seem dramatic, but I know you can relate. We’ve all had those moments.

I even wrote my book Illusionary based on a wild moment where I wished my dryer could eat me so I could escape life’s chaos!

But, my friend, having peace—especially God’s peace—isn’t about dodging the storms or burning down the problem pile to avoid them.

Seeking God’s peace can set us on a path of personal transformation where you have unshakeable joy in your day despite the storms barreling down your door.

Today, we’re diving into:

1. What true peace really is
2. Why God’s peace often starts with a teardown
3. How to walk this journey out practically in your writing and your life

So grab a snack, and let’s dig in.

What Is Shalom, Really?

Peace is often defined as a non-warring condition. A time with no strife, no conflict, no turmoil, etc.

People view peace as a state of harmony between people or groups. A time of no violence, a time of tranquility and serenity.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Yet, seeking to obtain lasting, ongoing peace outside of God never fails to leave us discontent and unsatisfied with the systems and framework we’ve created for ourselves.

Because there’s more to peace than just a sense of calm.

When we dive into a deeper study of God’s perfect peace—His Shalom Shalom—we discover that His peace takes what’s broken and makes it whole again.

Peace That Rebuilds

I’d like for you to picture a section of a stone wall with me. One that’s cracked and broken. To make the wall whole again, you’d clear away the rubble, repair or replace the stones, and rebuild that section until the wall no longer has holes, weakened placed, or mismatched stones.

That’s what God’s peace does in our lives. It’s not just a calm; it’s restoration. Wholeness.

When God brings His peace, He removes the debris, leads us through a restoration process, and establishes us as healed and foundationally sound.

Beautiful, right?

The Teardown Process

Now that we’ve explored what Shalom means, let’s tie it in with our writing journey.

Hang with me, my friend—I promise we’re getting somewhere with this.

When we deepen our relationship with Christ and take Him up on His offer for lasting peace, we don’t realize a critical—and often painful—teardown step comes as the first.

A Closer Look at Jeremiah 29

A favorite verse for many is Jeremiah 29:11

We all love the promise of God orchestrating plans for our good to give us a hope and a future. This was a promise verse given to my family and one I have hanging on my testimony wall.

But when we zoom out in this section of scripture, we see a bigger picture. The fulfillment of this promise comes after a season of exile. There was a process.

Let’s take a look at Jeremiah 29:10-14:

For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Sometimes, drastic measures are needed to bring peace to stubborn people.

Why the Teardown Is Necessary

Israel had broken covenant with God—like a spouse being unfaithful. They desecrated the temple, misrepresented His name, lived depraved lives. They became a curse instead of a blessing. And even after countless warnings, they refused to turn back. They killed many of the prophets God had sent in His effort to redirect their wayward hearts.

To bring about the future God desired for them, the Israelite entered a Babylon season. They weren’t listening any other way. And God wanted to save them from themselves. That season tore down their idols, exposed their pride, and paved the way for restoration.

My friend, if your world feels like it’s crumbling after you’ve surrendered it to God, that’s not always a sign something’s wrong. It might be that God is lovingly tearing down what wasn’t built by Him so He can answer your prayer for peace by His standards.

No Skipping the Refinement

Now to truly grasp hold of this truth of peace through restoration, we have to commit to the journey. There’s no cutting line. No skipping to the end.

But we often avoid the Refiner’s fire—the very thing that prepares us for the weight of our calling.

You Can’t Skip the Race and Expect the Crown

Funny history side note: during the time of the New Testament church, Emperor Nero participated in a chariot race and, despite being thrown from his chariot and not finishing, he was still crowned the winner. After his death, his “win” was struck from the records.

Hear my heart in this. We don’t want false crowns from our writing. We want eternal impact through our writing.

If we want a legacy that outlasts trends and temporary platforms, we must submit to the process and endure to the end.

The journey won’t be easy. But it is absolutely worth it.

Because on the other side of that surrender is a peace so deep, so whole, that it changes everything.

Peace That Transforms Your Writing

So just as Israel had to face their own idols and pride, we too have to confront the false narratives we’ve built around our writing careers.

Listen, no one willing signs up for a wilderness season. No one in their right mind wakes up eager and excited for a personal demolition sessions.

However, more often than not, those are the first stops in the overall journey toward a grace-filled life.

I can testify how amazing co-laboring with Christ is. But my journey started very much like how I’m describing it to you.

My Story: When God Tore It All Down

When the Lord redeemed me in 2018, the first stage in the restoration process was to completely shatter me. I promise this is a good thing.

The Lord didn’t just take a wrecking ball to my life, He went clear to the foundation and obliterated me at the ground level.

Because what I had built for myself had been established not on Him, but on religion, man’s traditions, perfectionism, pride, self-righteousness, fear, and a convoluted identify of what it means to be a Christ follower.

I had a heart who wanted what Christian living offered, but I carried around my baggage of trauma like a badge of honor rather that discovering the abundant life Christ shed His blood for me to have.

I didn’t fully understand what true living could even feel like until Christ took me by the hand and led me through the process toward God’s perfect peace.

How Peace Impacts Your Writing Journey

When we commit to the process and God brings His peace to your writing journey, here are some areas you’ll see impacted:

1. Your confidence
2. Your self-worth and how you value your words
3. Your outlook on life and the purpose behind your craft

But it doesn’t stop there. This peace overflows and transforms every aspect of your life.

It impacts your family, your community, your friendships. Peace transforms how you show up—on the page and in real life.

Your writing becomes a wellspring of grace instead of a grind.

Four Action Steps to Walk It Out

Committing to the process is not easy. I will not dare lie to you and say it’s rainbows and sunshine. However, I will assure you—with my whole heart that’s been healed and transformed by Jesus—that yielding and submitting to the journey is worth it.

Surrender isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of the you that God ordained when He created you.

You will enter a level of wholeness and completeness you never imagined was possible, but one that is wholly possible in and through Jesus.

Here are 4 steps you can take today to start walking this out:

1. Submit and commit. Lay your writing, your timeline, your expectations at His feet. Don’t rush the process, yield to it. Allow the Lord to do His best work in and through you.
2. Get into the Word. Scripture is your anchor during the teardown and the rebuild. Let His Word speak life and clarity into your creative process.
3. Guard your prayer time. Journal your prayers and listen for His responses. You’ll be amazed by the clarity that comes while you’re in deep communion with Him.
4. Don’t walk this alone. Find a trusted friend, mentor, or community to encourage you along the way. The enemy loves to isolate you. Don’t let him.

And don’t believe the lie that no one cares or that you’re alone. I believed that lie for years. But there are people in your life who do want to see you flourish and thrive.

You’re Not Alone—Let’s Walk This Together

I’d be honored to be one of those positive voices in your life. If you’d like weekly nudges of encouragement, resources, and heart chats just like this one, hop into the newsletter family. We’re walking this out together.

Don’t travel alone. We’re right here, cheering you on.

And if you know a fellow writer who needs to hear this message, I’d love it if you’d share this with them as a way to encouragement them and prayerfully spark their own journey towards the type of peace God desires to give all His children.

I hope you have a fantastic week, my friend! I’m praying for you. And as a reminder: take a few minutes today to sit with the Lord on this. Ask Him where this message lands with you. Invite the Holy Spirit to lead you into the glorious freedom that comes through surrender.

Thanks for spending time with me today on Heart for Creatives. I can’t wait to chat with you again soon.