ArcaMax

As 2025 comes to an end, I want to thank my readers who have emailed me throughout the year with encouraging and kind words. I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness put into every message. Due to my teaching and grading load, I am not able to respond to every email, but I am deeply moved that people would take the time to write me. I'm also grateful to those who shared their dissenting opinions. I think we can all agree that we need more civil and polite discussions in online spaces. Three recent columns that particularly resonated with readers were my Thanksgiving commentary on "Laboring in a Spiritual Harvest," my "Nothing Is Guaranteed in Life" feature, and my reflections on former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore. My spiritual harvest column focused on the theme of sowing and reaping, sharing that I want to devote my time and talents to serving in God's kingdom. I received several emails regarding this piece. One reader wrote that she was sending a "little note of Thanks" as a subscriber to The Sandusky Register, and that she prayed my words would "(open) the eyes (of) many" for "our times in this world right now." Another reader said the harvest column was "a real encouragement" to him and his faith and that my writing was "genuine." Another Sandusky Register reader urged me to keep "sharing (my) faith publicly and in the classroom and (to continue sharing) what the Lord has taught [me] over the years." A reader who emailed me with his comments on my "Nothing Is Guaranteed in Life" column stated that he thought I "covered very well the range of experiences that people can have when they personally confront food insecurity" and that he "still (finds) it strange and disappointing that anyone in the world's richest country should ever not be able to feed themselves." Food insecurity is something I have frequently thought about during the Christmas holiday season, as I've driven to grocery stores and continue to see dejected individuals holding signs asking for money. The Moore column piqued many readers' interests because it was a hot sports story a few weeks ago. One reader thanked me for my "firm but compassionate words of mercy" toward the shame Moore brought upon himself and stated that we should "give a fallen brother the chance at redemption." Another said that he hopes Moore "will find salvation in his time of crisis" and that my "words help set aside Buckeye schadenfreude and focus on the man and his family." I was touched that others would also show compassion for Moore, as people weren't having these kinds of conversations about him on social media.

The types of messages I get now are notably different from the emails I often received two decades ago. As a young writer, I was trying to find my voice, and I felt I had to write with a chip on my shoulder. I wrote about race, pop culture, education and politics, the same topics I address now, but I wasn't writing from a faith-based viewpoint. Oftentimes, readers called me a racist and felt that I was arrogant, and, giving in to my feelings and emotions, I argued back at them, thinking I had something to prove. While many would say that my writing during those years was sound from a critical analysis standpoint, what was missing was that I was not acknowledging Christ. I was trying to fit into a cultural narrative of volleying insults, and that was not who I was. When my column became nationally syndicated six years ago through Creators, my pastor told me, "Put Jesus in your writing. Somebody will like it." As I made this change, albeit gradually at first due to apprehension, I did lose some clients who wanted only political articles, but as I began to include biblical principles and Scripture in my columns, my work began to stand out. I'm continuing to spiritually learn through my writing that, as 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, whatever I do, I must "do it all for the glory of God."

It means a lot when someone writes to me and shares that my words strengthened their faith in Christ and helped them see things from a Godly perspective. I know this is why God blessed me with this platform, and I'm truly thankful for it.

========

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

----

Copyright 2025 Creators Syndicate, Inc.