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“Year of the Truth” leads Shelburne author to "Every Day, Wisdom"




By Brock Weir

 

At the dawn of 2016, Juli-Anne James made a personal declaration – the year ahead was going to be the “Year of the Truth.”

The Shelburne resident is not usually one to make a New Year's resolution, but something was telling her this was the year to take action.

“The Truth” was an obvious starting point, given various things going on in her life, she says. As the wife of a local pastor, she is often engaged in conversations with women, particularly millennials, on the issues that matter to them.

“It is really difficult for us to sometimes stand in our own truth and give that a voice,” says Ms. James, who was born in Canada and raised in St. Lucia. “That was an issue I saw coming up a lot. I wanted to commit to being more intentional about standing up and owning the truth of what I feel, what I think, and encouraging others to do the same.”

So, she took to social media, committing to posting an encouraging thought on her feeds every day for a year. At about 120 days in, she realised she had enough content to produce a 90 day devotional because that is what she “felt the Lord was really leading me to do.” The result is the self-published book “Every Day, Wisdom” which is now available on Amazon.com and various other platforms.

“I am the mother of three and during the process of writing and sharing these thoughts in writing, I had a personal goal that I really wanted to do this,” she explains. “I have felt the calling to write for a long time and I have always made excuses putting it off like writer's block. Then, I was on maternity leave with my third daughter, who is now one, and I made a commitment to myself and to God that I would answer the calling, take it seriously and at least put a stake in the ground to say I will write.

“My goal with the thoughts I shared were really to shift perspectives in a positive direction. You may be facing difficult circumstances, but here is another way of looking at it in a positive way that can encourage you to keep moving forward and stand in your truth.”

These 90 days of home truths are often accompanied by a verse of scripture to show how to “apply God's word to our daily circumstances.”

As she share each thought on social media, she says she gained a good sense of what resonated with her audience based on the conversations that transpired. Ms. James, in turn, was often inspired by the reactions people were having, penning more thoughts that came together into the final collection.

During the writing journey she says she initially considered writing a short prayer to go with each musing, but decided in the end not to go in that direction. Instead, she says she wants people to really consider the word for themselves, apply it in their own contexts and, particularly “the contexts of what your circumstances might be in the moment.”

“The reason it is called ‘Every Day, Wisdom' is because I really place a high value on wisdom, not just education,” she says. “I am not really talking about intellect, I am not talking about being smart. I am talking about deep, godly wisdom, the realm of thinking that is not common. What I say to my husband all the time is if I were to die today or tomorrow, what I would really like to be known as is a wise woman.

“I write for my children's children, or my children's grandchildren. I want them to know years from now, after I am gone, that they can pick up something I wrote and understand what great-grandma lived and died for, and that is the virtue of wisdom.”

So, what does she want future generations to know of what great-grandma learned throughout the writing process and discovering her own truth?

“I learned that I am a lot stronger and more disciplined than I have given myself credit for,” says Ms. James, who moved with her husband and three daughters to Shelburne last year for a less hectic pace of life. “I have struggled from time to time, and I have been down on myself for being inconsistent, especially in the area of writing.

“Having gone through the challenge of committing one thought on social media, they say if you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit and I really feel that to be true in this case. Just putting one foot in front of the other daily you are able to do it. I also learned I ought to have a little more confidence in myself and in my writing ability. A lot of people have been very encouraging about this project and I learned I can do what I set my mind to do.”

 

For more on Every Day, Wisdom, head over to www.JulianneJJames.com.
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