By Kenneth Bliss
Over this past year of this writing curse…er…course, no, um…journey. Yeah, “journey.” That’s the right word. Anyway, it’s been quite a challenge.
Those of you in the Scribes critiquing group know I have these creatures in my stories called “The Nameless.” They are the lowest form of devil. I imagine them as amorphic blobs with bat-like wings which flit around or attach themselves to people and whisper temptations into people’s ears. Each Nameless focuses on a specific sin or negative emotion. In my case, Doubt.
“You’re not doing it right. You’ll fail.”
“You’re not good enough for this business.”
“God’s given up on you. Give it up.”
All three of the above have pestered me at different times. That last one right around Easter (2025) of all times. It wasn’t pleasant. I couldn’t figure out why. What did I do wrong? So, of course, I prayed. Am I okay with You? This went on for a week or two.
You’ve heard the phrase “God works in mysterious ways.” Right? Well one day, I woke up and the chorus of an old hymn ran through my head.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today…
That’s all I heard. It ran on repeat for fifteen-twenty minutes until I pushed it out of my head. Granted, it’s a great hymn, but to hear just that phrase over and over became maddening. I didn’t need an earworm.
Then it happened again the next day. And the next. And the next. I bet you’re saying “Um, Ken. God’s talking to you.” Yes, He was. God played the part of the earworm. It took nine days in a row for me to finally catch on and listen to the rest of the words.
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way!
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives…He lives…within…my heart.
Yeah, I started crying when I figured out what had happened. And joy filled my soul to realize I had been lied to by the Nameless and the LORD never left.
After I released my novelette last October, nothing I did seemed to make a difference on my follower counts on socials, my website and especially Amazon sales. That pesky doubt Nameless picked on me again. I wondered if God frowned on my story. Sure enough, the next morning, God appeared with another earworm. The chorus to For King and Country’s Never Give Up played on repeat.
Never ever, ever, ever, ever give up
Never ever, ever give up, no.
Never ever, ever, ever, ever give up
Never ever, ever give up
Never give up!
So, giving up was not an option. Since then, I’ve heard Whispers and the Wind by Bodie on multiple occasions telling me listen for God in those quiet times. Another For King and Country song, World on Fire, because part of the chorus says, “I will never dim my light.” This was the response to an opportunity which popped up, and doubt crept in again. Yep, let your light shine bright! Lately, it’s been Still Waters by Leanna Crawford. Comfort when turbulence surrounded me.
So, stay tuned to what you hear in the morning. God may be using an earworm to tell you something you need to know.
Kenneth Bliss graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint with degrees in Math and Computer Science. Years of reading books, watching sci-fi movies and a fondness for role-playing games such as D&D and Pathfinder let him to use his active imagination to write what he loves: psionics. Ken is the author of The Accident and he lives near a small town in Michigan, hidden amongst the trees and nature with his two cats. Visit Ken on his website or on Facebook.
Comments 2
Great article, Ken. “I will never dim your light,” hit me.i needed to remember I had one, or am one. Thanks for the encouragement.
Great article, Ken. I get those earworms, as well. From now on, I’ll listen more closely. Your words have helped.