Most
know her only as the creator of Harry Potter.
Most
people don’t know what J. K. Rowling went through before becoming successful.
Rowling first conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 as she rode a
train from Manchester to London. She began putting the fully-formed story onto
paper but was interrupted when her mother died after a ten-year battle with
Multiple Sclerosis.
Two
years later, Rowling moved to Portugal, where she taught English, met a man,
married, and had a daughter. One year later, the marriage ended. She then moved
to Edinburgh, Scotland, to be closer to her sister. By this time, she had three
chapters of the future famous book in her suitcase.
Rowling
didn’t see herself as a successful person but a failure. She had no job and no
money. She was also divorced and had a child. Bouts of depression assaulted
her, and she eventually found herself signing up for welfare.
By 1995,
Rowling had finished the book—but had also experienced rejection from twelve
major publishers. One year later, Bloomsbury, a small publishing house,
accepted her manuscript and offered her a small advance. They published the
book in 1997 but printed only one thousand copies, five hundred of which they
distributed to libraries.
Amazingly,
in 1997 and 1998, Harry Potter won awards from Nestle Smarties Book Prize and
the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year. Today, Rowling’s
books have sold more than four hundred million copies, and she is considered
one of the most successful women authors in the United Kingdom.
King
Solomon wrote, too, but people knew him for more than that. His fame made
headlines, so much so that the queen of Sheba had to see him for herself. His
material and chattel possessions amazed her, but so did his wisdom. Especially
the way he solved a puzzle about which mother a particular baby belonged to.
When two women came claiming a specific child belonged to them—and neither
would tell the truth—Solomon demanded that the child be cut in half and one
half given to each woman. Of course, the birth mother didn’t want her child
killed, so she offered it to the woman making the false claim.
Some
girls are known for wanting the bad boys, and some boys are known for wanting
the bad girls. Rowling certainly isn’t the only person known for overcoming
difficult circumstances and moving ahead to success. Successful people fill
history’s pages. And other authors trump Rowland’s reputation.
Of all
the things for which others could know us—or of all the things for which we
might want to be known—God has his own list in mind. His list might not make us
famous or known worldwide, but living by his directory will bring us peace,
fulfillment, and joy, as we won’t discover anywhere else.
God’s
roster includes honesty, integrity, selflessness, kindness, love, joy, and
optimism. Things Jesus modeled while on earth. Traits some didn’t appreciate
but that others admired. Things, however, that pleased his heavenly Father.
Our
enemy will tempt us to be known for things that displease God, but God gives us
a different list. When we allow others to know us by the things on God’s
register, we’ll please God. And that, after all, is the most important thing in
life. At the end of the day, what God thinks is all that matters.
Make up your
mind to be known by those characteristics that reflect the God you serve.
Father, I want
to be known as your follower and reflect your traits in my life.
I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
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