WINDHOEK – Growing up, Sarah Goroh did not know that she would one day be an inspirational writer.
In fact, she was the “shy girl” who did not necessarily think she’d end up inspiring people with her inspirational writings and quotes, which are occasionally published in New Era.
The published author of the book, ’31 days of inspired living’ which was launched last November is also a blogger, poet, content creator, administrator and ordained minister of the gospel.
“I’m very passionate about writing – I enjoy writing but this is not something that I grew up doing, it’s something that came up at a later stage. I was more into the creative arts and film production as well as dance,” she told New Era in an interview.
It was after Goroh, the daughter of preachers, Haruna and Titilayo Goroh, discovered her purpose that she started to share her experience with others through inspirational writing and other forms of creative arts such as poetry, she explained.
“There was a time when things started to transition in my life and I used to get a lot of inspiration. I’d wake up and I’d just start writing. Sometimes, I wouldn’t be able to stop and this was actually after I discovered my purpose because when you’re younger you’re not really sure what your purpose is in life and you just go with the flow until you hunger and want to know ‘why am I here?’ Why am I on this earth?” she shares enthusiastically.
“After I discovered my purpose, I was taken on a journey to discover the gifts God placed inside me so I would write and he would give me topics to write on,” she said.
Her interaction with her peers and different people also birthed some of the topics which she wrote about, reminisced Goroh.
Topics covered in Goroh’s 87-paged biblical devotion include “The way you see,” “Setting your own pace” and “Breaking free from fear.”
She explained that fear comes in different forms such as not wanting to take risks because of the unknown or past experiences of failure.
“I also had to break free from fear because I was afraid of taking risks,” said Goroh. Being an analytical person and “a perfectionist” Goroh said she would calculate things before taking the risks.
But there is triumph beyond fear, she says. Touching on another topic in the book, Goroh explained that people often plan for the future at the expense of the present moment.
“We forget that today is the most important day, not tomorrow because no one really knows what will happen tomorrow. Being intentional is knowing that what you do today shapes tomorrow,” she added.
A devout Christian, Goroh said God took her on a journey where He showed her that in order to become who she is supposed to be she needed to change from within.
“There’s a topic in the book titled perception. Your perception creates your reality and in order to change your life, you first have to change your perception and the way you view yourself and other people and your surroundings. If you can’t change that then you’re not going to change anything,” she said. Speaking passionately about transformation which happens on the inside, Goroh explained: “People think transformation begins from what you can do but it’s not about what you can do but what’s happening inside, so if you’re struggling with things such as unforgiveness or fear these things keep you back from living the life that you’re called to live.”
Sharing on the topic, “Setting your own pace”, Goroh said people should not compare themselves to others because each person’s journey is different.
“Even though someone gets somewhere before you do it doesn’t mean anything because it’s not about the time it takes but it’s about crossing the finishing line at the appointed time, not who gets there first,” she said, adding that challenges are part of everyone’s journey.
“Some people want to be successful but they forget character is everything. If our character is flawed and our character stinks even though we climb the ladder to success, the same fast way we got there is the same way we’re going to fall. At the end of the day, we need to be built from within in order to for us to be who we are called to be,” Goroh said.
Initially, she had no plans of writing a book but the feedback she received from the short motivational pieces she wrote over a period of two years was enough for her to put it together into a devotional book, she explained.
Asked how she manages so many titles at the same time, Goroh responded: “I feel like it’s me. I feel like it’s a part of me like I don’t have to do anything, it’s just me. If I get inspiration to record an inspirational audio piece, it just comes and I do it because if I push it to later I’m never going to do it. It’s not like I wake up every day and I have something to write.”
When she was asked on who the book relates to, she responded the book is relevant to people from all walks of life because it touches on people’s daily experiences.
The book has been received positively, said Goroh. But some of the people who bought her book were honest enough to tell her that they were not sure if they would finish reading it, she said.
And to reach as many people as she possibly can with the inspirational content in the book, Goroh will in the month of March go through the book with people who bought the book through gatherings, WhatsApp groups, and podcasts.
“We will go through all the topics together and people will discuss. There will be discussion groups, videos on each topic, then there’s also questions and answers, WhatsApp groups, videos, podcasts and then there’s a day where there will be an event where people can come and ask questions with a live audience,” she added. People would be given the opportunity to share from their experiences on the topics presented in the devotional.
“At the end of the day it will not be like a lecture because everyone who is registered for the sessions will be helping each other,” explained the author. The book is currently available at Revive Us Christian bookstore and from the author. An e-book would be launched this year.