I almost gave up on my latest book, Becoming Me. I began exploring the idea behind it in 2013, then wrote
most of my original version during 2014. I sensed God was in the project and
sent it off to my potential publisher in January 2015. Yet one key, nagging question
remained. Should it really be published? It is a very personal book, after all—it
contains many honest reflections on my own journey of discovering who God created
me to be and of removing the layers covering my true self. Besides, I had already
written six published novels and a memoir, Soul
Friend. Should I call it a day?
I was also very tired, so decided to give myself a semi-sabbatical
during 2015. At times, I tried to polish up Becoming
Me, while waiting to hear from the publisher, but those nagging doubts remained. Had I heard God wrongly? Did I have
the energy to see this project through?
Then, in January this year, my publisher suggested I remove
the reflection questions from the end of each chapter, which necessitated other changes as well. I resubmitted, but to no avail. My
book was simply not the type of non-fiction my publisher now produced—and I respected that.
So what to do? Should I consider self-publishing? For
various reasons, I had always resisted this idea. Then, one Sunday morning in
early May, three things happened in quick succession.
The first was a simple, mundane event—I picked up a nail
file on my desk and, for the first time in months, noticed the image of a
Russian babushka doll, so intrinsic to my story, on the end of it. A friend had
given it to me, after she heard about the concept behind Becoming Me, as an encouragement and a reminder to complete the
book.
We headed to church, where a young minister preached on knowing our
identity in Christ. To my astonishment, he proceeded to elaborate on many key
themes contained in my book. I sat bolt upright—it was as if an electric current
was flowing through me. ‘All these themes are still so important’, I sensed God
saying. ‘Put your book out there!’
I came home and discovered an email from a dear friend. She
had felt prompted to share John 1:12 from ‘The Message’ with me. It read:
Whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, HE MADE TO BE THEIR TRUE SELVES, their child-of-God selves ...
She had
capitalised the words ‘He made to be their true selves’—without knowing this was the main theme of my new book!
That week, I began to set in motion the whole
self-publishing process, asking others to design the cover and complete the
layout for me. And now, on 1st October, Becoming Me: Finding my true self in God will be released at last! Please
check out my website for the special deal available until that date.
I am sharing this publication journey to encourage you all to
stay the course and do your best to carry through with whatever project God has
challenged you to undertake in your own life. Yes, sometimes we might have to
put things aside. But maybe, just maybe, God wants us to persevere. God is so
faithful—so it is up to us to be faithful too, don’t you think?
Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives
in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and
Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well
as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and
lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published
novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual
journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up
children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com. 