Where Does My Help Come From?

Recently replied to a trending topic on Twitter titled #MyInspirationComesFrom. The objective is to complete the hashtag intro and post it on Twitter. I decided to use the writer- side of my personality to complete the hashtag trend,

I wrote: My inspiration comes from a good night's sleep, starting the day with a Scripture devotion, and observing people behavior. "Write on!" says the blogger from spaghettimanwrites.blogspot.com.

Oh, and a good laugh too! That fuels my inspiration, as well.

After I posted my comments, I realized my simple wordy advice was easier said than done.
Like having a good night’s sleep. I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and now use a medical device to try sleeping through the night. Getting up bright and chipper and full of inspiration is elusive and the last thing on my mind after tangling with a breathing machine for eight hours.

Observing people behavior, especially if you are a writer, seems like sound advice. I’ve concluded, however, there is much human behavior I would not want to see emulated and considered as a benchmark of something ideal. Spending time in Scripture helps us stay focused, helps us understand human behavior, and inspires us. Psalm 121 is my daily reminder to develop book characters that behaved honorably and reflect the ideal and not the dark side of real human behavior.

Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains __ where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Mountain- top’s may look inspiring and draw you into their majesty. Mountains can be a source of inspiration. But they are shallow compared to where are most sound inspiration comes from … My help comes from the Lord. Not your best friend. Not the latest pop culture book. Not even a mountain top.

There is one more thing that helps to lighten the emotional load of life. Be sure you take time to laugh at yourself and your comic missteps.

Robert Parlante
April 2018