Hiding Among the Baggage
An invitation to faithfulness
Welcome to 2026, dear readers!
While I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, I do find the turning of another calendar year always prompts reflection. I suppose this is not unique to me. There is something about a new season—whether marked by a yearly rhythm or a pivotal change in circumstances—that produces a longing to grow or discover new paths forward.
For me personally, 2026 brings ample opportunity for such growth. For one thing, I will conclude a five-year season of schooling in June. When I returned to college to get a bachelor’s degree in 2021 (after a twenty-two-year hiatus), it was not with a master’s degree in mind. Nor was I planning on writing. Especially fiction…especially novels!
Yet here I am.
As I’ve tiptoed into the waters of writing these past few years, many times I’ve been overcome by swells of fear and insecurity. Questions about the way forward rise to the surface. Doubts consume. The ever-looming conundrum of developing an author platform plagues me. Comparing my path to that of others slithers in…
More times than I care to admit, I’ve thought about finishing school, getting some job that loosely aligns with my degree, and leaving the writing business to those with thicker skin. Or at least relegating it to a “side gig.”
In fact, I recently applied for an internship for the summer of 2026 with this motivation lurking in the background. I convinced myself it was a good thing for me to pursue. Maybe even the best possible plan for me—until I received the rejection email.
With the sting of failure still fresh, I went to the Lord the next morning. I happened to be in Exodus 36 where God gives Moses instructions about constructing the Tabernacle:
“The LORD has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the LORD has commanded” (Exodus 36:1).
I circled back to Chapter 35 of the same book where God’s people brought gifts for the building of the tabernacle with “generous hearts” (Exodus 35:5).
After I read all these words, I was deeply convicted. It was as if God said, “Tiffany, I have given you a skill…a craft to use for my purposes and glory. Will you offer it generously?”
As I sat with the thought, another one quickly followed. A picture of King Saul “hiding among the baggage” sprang to mind (1 Samuel 10:22). God had chosen Saul to be king, but when the time came to step out in faith, he hid.
Why?
Fear and insecurity.
God had called him to something scary, something bigger than he felt capable of tackling. But unlike King David, Saul centered his eyes on himself instead of God—and thus fear consumed him.
He lacked faithfulness. Or in other words, he failed to trust God.
And just like Saul, this week I realized that I had been “hiding among the baggage.” I had pursued something besides writing that felt less scary—required less faith. The conviction was razor sharp, and as I repented, God made my path forward abundantly clear. In fact, it’s the most clarity I’ve had in a good while.
Repentance restores our sight.
Faithfulness gives us fresh vision.
Friends, if this new year finds you in a state of reflection—where perhaps doubts, fear, or insecurity loom large—I pray you, too, will find your way to faithfulness.
As God’s kids we don’t have to hide among the baggage. Faithfulness, after all, is a fruit of his Spirit. God’s grace will always be sufficient for it.
January Book Recommendation
The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White
I’m just finishing the last chapters of this lovely novel, and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. The title has been on my TBR for some time, but I finally picked it up after it won Christianity Today’s 2025 fiction book of the year.
A little about the premise:
In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.
Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.
For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.
Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party―he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.
As so often seems to happen in my monthly book recommendations, themes of faithfulness happen to abound in this book. Providence, I dare say.
Drop a line in the comments if you’ve read this one, fellow readers. Or send me an email if you pick it up. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
January Giveaway
The Collector of Burned Books is this month’s giveaway for my subscribers. Simply reply to this email and type BOOKS in the subject line to enter. 😊
November’s giveaway of Nearly Beloved is H. Johnson!
Writerly News
It’s been some time since I’ve given an update on my first novel, and I wish I had more definitive news. Suffice it to say, I’m still in conversations and the door is not closed to traditional publishing.
I would love your prayers for God’s direction, timing, and for the grace to continue to grow my author platform. At the end of the day, publishing is a business and readers are essential to that equation. If you feel led to share my newsletter with a fellow reader or two or follow me on Instagram, it would mean the world, friends!
While I don’t know the particulars of God’s plans, my commitment to what I’ve started as a writer is greatly renewed. I hope you’ll stick with me as I seek to honor God through the craft of writing with a generous—and faithful heart.
Tiffany
I love this...
Repentance restores our sight.
Faithfulness gives us fresh vision.
Profound words to wake up to. Perfect thoughts for the New Year!
Ill be praying for your publishing success.