Ciara Laine Myers
10 min read ⭑
“[My relationship with God is] like any other relationship in the sense that, the more time I invest, the closer we become. The more I study him, the more I know his voice. I wrote somewhere in my book that ‘I stumbled into intimacy when all that I was looking for was information.’ That’s entirely true.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
Capri, Italy, is not my hometown. Nor is it a place I visit often. When I traveled there last fall, though, something important happened. I finally understood how spaghetti was supposed to taste. I teared up—okay, I fully cried—while swirling those luscious linguine noodles around my fork at a five-star restaurant that seemed more like a tree house. I was Peter Pan, and this plate of pasta was Wendy.
I’ll never know why the food made me cry that day. Was it because I was extra hungry after hiking, and it made lunch feel as though I’d been starved my whole life? Was it because I sifted through the entire bowl of cheese? I didn’t know it was to be shared with the other tables or I wouldn’t have hogged it. It was an honest mistake—maybe the best mistake. Was it the fact that my husband sat across the table from me, overlooking the crashing waves, smiling like someone who was truly free? I’ll never be able to recreate that magical moment, a small slice of what I think heaven will be like—breezy, sensory, rich, and peaceful.
Prosper, Texas, is home to my husband, me, my two girls, and my dog. A far cry from the Isle of Capri. A slice of heaven in its own right. My husband and I have since developed a little tradition when we need a quick refresh, a reminder of a memory we’ve never fully recovered from. We head over to the market and buy fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. We grab handfuls of basil from the back garden and douse all of the above in cracked pepper and extra virgin olive oil. We use the same, oval-shaped serving piece every time. And we absolutely devour it together. It’s a simple meal shared between lovers on a simple couch in the suburbs, but it reminds us of our time abroad—walking to the local market, eating this same combination of tantalizing flavors and textures for breakfast—excited for the heaven that is to come yet relishing in what God has given us today.
Yakov Leonov; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?
Writing is important work. But it can be isolating and, obviously, stationary. I’m a contradictory writer in a sense because as much as I love to sit and focus on typing, I also equally love to get up and move my body. I have a lot of mental energy—which the writing helps with—but I also match that with an abundance of physical energy. Because of this tendency, I’ve learned that my partnership with the craft of writing is in moving. I pace when I think, often talking aloud, flitting about like a hummingbird. I jump up and down when I have a good idea—quite literally jumping for joy. I play chase with the kids, although I’m trying to alter this into more of a soft-jog kind of game because we end up hurt every time.
I’m a word nerd, certainly. But I’m also a sport-playing, Zumba-doing, backyard-yoga person. Oftentimes, when the girls are in bed, I’ll move the furniture in the living room, blast something on the record player or the television, and dance my little heart out. If music is playing, I’m dancing. It’s the way my body has always responded. I’m at peace with this inclination—even though it’s a little quirky—because the Lord approves of my dancing as one very real form of praise and worship. I don’t dance during church services because I’m not Pentecostal, and because my 10-year-old daughter would “literally die of embarrassment.” So instead, I get out the body jitters when I can. It always revives me physically, mentally, and spiritually, leaving me grateful for life and useful for kingdom work.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
I don’t want to make the wrong decision. My husband, Paul, makes a decision and rarely questions it. I spend every waking breath I have visiting and revisiting a decision I need to make. Maybe that’s why I like variety so much. If I have a million options laid bare on the table in front of me and the space and time to choose the best one, I’m in my sweet spot, nestled inside my comfort zone. I’m not convinced that my way is right or wrong. I think the world needs both kinds of humans.
When hiring someone for my business, I’ll consider both types of people, and depending on what the project calls for, I’ll hire accordingly. If I need a customer service representative, I’ll likely hire someone like Paul. They’ll make quick decisions when answering the phones, they’ll provide solutions, and customers will be satisfied. If I need a book cover designer, I’m hoping someone at the publishing house or an outsourced freelancer works the way I work—fervently and serving the best viable outcome at almost any cost. Even if it took them through a journey of tears and paralysis to get there, at least I’ll have the perfect cover. There’s a fine line between pursuing excellence and leaning on God’s sovereignty, and I’m learning to balance the two.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
My latest book, Glasses Off: Seeing God When Your Vision Is Gone, is for the person who feels the tension between the reality of today’s conditions and the intensity of a future calling. For so long, I was drowning in these three cultural words: purpose, calling, and vision. I set out to write a book I needed to read. It’s a personal and professional blueprint about how God reveals visions to me and how I follow through. I share personal stories and life lessons I’m learning along the way.
If you grab a copy, I suggest reading one chapter a day, because each chapter has its own theme to meditate on and pray about. In that way, it’s kind of like a book made up of 12 mini-books. If you like to read about love and clarity, vision and insecurity, dreams and feelings, and practical steps, you’ll enjoy it.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
The Holy Spirit invigorates my work through promptings—ideas, thoughts, and dreams. I’m learning to decipher God’s voice from my thoughts in three ways:
1) The prompting is unusual, not a word or phrase that I would have easily come up with.
2) My ideas come and go, but his imprints never fully leave me.
3) It seems urgent. I make a list of ideas and then rate the sense of urgency I feel next to that idea with 10 being the most urgent. If it’s truly a God-ordained thing, it almost always feels like a 10.
God woke me up one morning with this thought: It’s not about you. It’s about providing value. So I ask myself often,Which of these ideas has the opportunity to provide value to someone else? The work becomes less and less about me and more about how others benefit from it. It’s easy to be inspired when you shift work from “How can I be more successful?” to “How can I serve someone else with the gifts I’ve been given and the skills I’ve acquired?”
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin’ best for you right now?
I get in my own way more than I’d like. That’s why I’m committed to a daily spiritual practice. I call it my Daily Date With God—DDG for short. After this ritual, I’m able to soften down the self-inflicting voices of apprehension and doubt that perpetually chase me. Time with God—whether spent worshiping, praying, or studying—is usually enough to get me through the day. And then tomorrow, we start again, him and I, because it’s tomorrow and I told him that I would yesterday.
God’s ways seem mysterious because we can’t fully grasp his will. I think we want to—and I think that’s the problem. Years ago, I would read the Bible as a how-to manual, as if God would reveal his master plan to me like a big sky genie. I’d think, What do you want me to do, God? Give me the guideline. You know I like a bullet-pointed list.
But as I kept showing up to my DDG, I allowed myself to be open-minded about God. “Let’s say he’s real,” I’d conclude. “Let’s say he’s meeting me here.” Every day, I just kept doing that and eventually, my love for him grew—but not based on what he could give me in return. It’s like any other relationship in the sense that, the more time I invest, the closer we become. The more I study him, the more I know his voice. I wrote somewhere in my book that “I stumbled into intimacy when all that I was looking for was information.” That’s entirely true.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources—lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are three resources that have impacted you?
Christian singer Kari Jobe led worship at my home church a decade ago. Even with massive worldly success, she continues to use her gifts to point others toward God instead of herself. I admire that quality in a person, and I strive to be that way in my own life. Her older song, “The Cause of Christ,” resonates deeply with me still. Each listen brings me back to a beautiful place of humility and gratitude as I meditate on the lyrics.
Seth Godin’s book The Practice puts words around concepts like work ethic, staying committed, and the creative craft. All of his books are helpful for marketing, business, and creative pursuits, and I appreciate his willingness to break the status quo, not for the sake of rebellion, but to make positive change happen.
My John MacArthur Study Bible is a game changer and has been for the last nine years. Devotionals come and go, but this study Bible remains my number one resource. It sits quietly in the same place—on the side table next to my red couch—patiently waiting for me to brew a fresh cup of coffee and crack it open—some days, for only 10 minutes at a time, and other days, for an hour or two. It’s a staple for my faith because I love to learn at my own pace. It provides Scripture, in-depth historical context, and quick-to-digest footnotes. It was a gift from an ex-boyfriend. His handwriting is still on the inside cover, but this gift has become fully mine, taking on a life of its own. The cover is peeling, and one of the pages had to be taped back together because, well, I have children. Yet it’s the very thing I keep coming back to.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I wrote my first book for two types of people: 1) those whom God has chosen to fulfill something while on earth but who aren’t quite sure how to follow through and 2) people who don’t even feel special enough to look for a calling in the first place.
I’m in the process of marketing it now, not so I can become rich and famous, but so that the right reader can find it. My hope is for the words to hit them in a way they didn’t expect and they can become inspired and equipped.
While I’m promoting my first book, I’m secretly writing my second one. It’s in a different genre and it’s great fun. I prefer writing over speaking, but I’m open to all of these upcoming interviews and media events. The main thing I’m focusing on lately is to face something new or scary by choosing to speak life over that opportunity, not death.
Earlier in this interview, Ciara touched on two big ways people make decisions—quickly and decisively vs. slowly and methodically. As she mentioned, there are pros and cons to both types of decision-making, and the kind we lean toward often depends on our personalities.
But there are several biblical ways to approach decision-making that we all can implement no matter our temperament like:
Asking God for wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5, ESV).
Listening to others’ advice: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15, ESV).
Trusting the Lord: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).
Listening to the Holy Spirit: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV).
Which of these would you like to grow in when making decisions? Consider confiding in a trusted friend this week and asking them to pray with you about it.
Ciara Laine Myers is the author of Glasses Off: Seeing God When Your Vision Is Gone. She loves her family and friends, and she loves to read. Like you, she’s not just one thing. She’s a mother and an award-winning business owner. You can find her in the pages of her book and in Prosper, Texas, where she lives with her husband, Paul; her daughters, Audri and Averi; and her dog, Zoey.
