Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should
To Be Honest I Ate Some Humble Pie This Week
Each year, I pray about a certain word or theme. I never gave thought to a week having a theme. This past week, the same lesson popped up more than once—three times, actually.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
This wasn’t so much my lesson, although I feel like I got schooled. Like most authors, I learned Meta, you know, Zuck and employees, and downloaded 7.5 million books to train their AI.
Issue?
No author was asked or gave their permission.
I doubt the books were purchased.
And if so, is it right for them to be purchased for that reason?
All I know is five of my active titles were used. They are older titles, and yes, most of them you could find on the Libby app where you as the reader pay nothing. My issue is I didn’t write for Zuck. I didn’t write for AI.
I wrote for you.
I crafted flawed characters who would make you smile and maybe bang your head in frustration as you willed them together. I didn’t write for fame or bookseller status. I entered the business hoping to change lives and spread the word that my work exists.
It’s no secret Zuck and companies like Meta have billionaires at the helm who wield a lot of corporate power. That doesn’t mean rules don’t apply to them. So yes, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
There is already legal action underway, and authors are paying attention.
My heart is full of love and encouragement for teens. I see such potential and hope, especially in our youth group. I was a leader for years, stepping down last year out of obedience to serve women. It doesn’t mean I stopped caring. I love working with them or cheering them on when I can.
I heard one of the teens was in a school play close to us, and I heard it was Little Mermaid. The teen carries a gorgeous voice with curly red hair to boot. Surely she was Ariel.
Nope. She was Sebastian.
Sebastian. It made no sense. Couldn’t the director see who stood before them?
Well, turns out I needed to see who stood on the stage. Because that red-haired teen killed it as Sebastian. She owned that role. And the Holy Spirit gently pointed out—-
Just because she could, doesn’t mean she should have.
And that’s a devotional or sermon that writes itself. How many times have I felt I’d be the one to do this because that is what I do or what I love, yet it went to someone else? Or, the times I’m asked to do something out of the box that I don’t think I’d ever pull off because I’d never done that thing before.
I strongly believe God’s going to do a lot more of that kind of thing—-taking things, people and ministries that we would want to put into that box when He places it far from it. It will cause us to wonder, but not for long. Because like Sebastian, that teen was meant to play that role, red hair and all.
Today I ugly cried when I spoke with a young person I had not seen in awhile.
The last time I did, we were at their workplace and offered them a tip even though they were not our server. That person seemed excited and kept saying they would see us the next day at church. But it didn’t happen.
Wherever your faith level is, I believe you know the devil is real and he’s crafty. He also is defeated. He’s done, but too full of pride to give up just yet. He works with the little he has, and deceit is up there. He planted a little thought in my head I ran with.
We embarrassed the person. We humiliated them. Now they aren’t at church because of us.
Typing it out even I see how ridiculous it was. But I bought it. Seeing them was such a gift and a relief. The more we talked the more I understood I believed a lie.
Just because I could think that way doesn’t mean I should have.
That’s my theme this week. To be honest, that’s a bit of humble pie to digest. What did you experience or learn this week? I’d love for you to comment.
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Outside of Substack I’m a small-town romance author. I love to encourage other authors. Jennifer Arrington recently shared an older release called Trusting for Tomorrow. I hope you check it out!