The Typos that Humiliate

Feb 21, 2014Not Marked, Write!

So, yeah.

There are typos in Not Marked.

This happened in my other books (traditionally published!) so I shouldn’t let it bother me, but it does. I wracked my brain over this, had hired editors and went through the book with what I thought was a fine tooth comb. To no avail.

The good news is that they are fixable with the next printing. The bad news? I feel a bit small and dorky and dumb.

Ever felt that way? That your mistake is what will define you? That others will judge because you didn’t get that task just quite right? That you will never get over your failure?

5000 copies of a book with typos will be out in the world, and there’s really nothing I can do about it. Folks will judge. They’ll wonder at my intelligence. They’ll consider themselves better than, perhaps.

And I’m learning that’s okay.

The book’s success does not rise and fall on my ability. If anything, it’s my inability that will actually let GOD do His work. I don’t have publicity. I don’t have a lot of resources. The book is not in bookstores (other than my church bookstore). The button on the Amazon page is weird and hard to understand. I’ve sold a few hundred (not thousands). And at times, I let myself give into panic.

It’s imperfect, this book launch. I’m imperfect. The process is imperfect.

And yet, I am being made whole. Readers are finding healing. And we’re all on this messy journey together, moving from glory to glory: “And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT).

Glory takes time.

And God uses the typos of our lives to show us our need for Him. We are not defined by our mistakes, but by our Messiah, who redeems our mistakes (click to tweet). Our imperfection leaves room for His perfection. And it does not nullify His amazing plans.

Rest there, friend, as I try to rest there too.

Typos and all.

What about you? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the “typos” of your life? How did you move beyond that? What lessons has God taught you in your frailty?

 

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