Is it possible to draw inspiration in any circumstance?

For my first book, The Road to Hell, I wrote and edited almost the entire novel at my kitchen table amidst chaos. The table was pub height with two stools. I did not have a cushy chair. I did not have a quiet office. I sat on a hard wooden surface hunched over a laptop with a dying fan that overheated and shut itself off at the most inopportune times. And yet I was able to shut out all of the distraction and throw myself into the world of my imagination.

At the time, I lived in a two bedroom apartment with my wife and brother-in law. Shortly after Thanksgiving of that year, we were also blessed with the company of my mother-in-law and another brother-in-law due to a house fire that decimated their home.

My writing space was never quiet and never private. If it wasn’t the TV blasting, it was family members goofing around or arguing, or it was something else. It was not what I considered to be a writer’s sanctuary.

Before anyone assumes that I was unaffected by all of this activity, that was assuredly not the case. I faced constant distraction and interruption, and only through a singular purpose that I believe was instilled in me by God, was I able to stay on track. By pressing into the story and staying focused on my goal, I was able to accomplish what I had only dreamed about.

I feel that this level of focus and determination is not restrained to writing or creative arts. I believe that God can help us to define and stay committed to goals and pursuits, both big and small. Especially those instilled in us by Him from birth.

I have heard many times that in order to hear the still small voice of God, the environment must be as close to absolute silence as possible. While this may be true in many cases, I have found that I can still hear the voice of God by pressing in and focusing on Him, regardless of the circumstances. How else could the prophets of old hear His word in a world overflowing with chaos?