Editing someone else's work strikes me as a (potentially) profoundly Christian activity. I know that one doesn't need to be Christian to be an editor. I am speaking about how the selfless nature of good editing can be seen as a model of Christian service.

At the heart of editing is bringing out the best in someone else so they flourish. Encouraging the full exercise of a person's gifts for the good of others is what Christians should be doing for one another. It also requires lovingly hard words (that sentence you love has to go).

The better editors do the less they are noted. After being edited (a lot) over the past few years, I appreciate the collaborative process and it makes me wonder about the editors who assisted in the books and essays that I love.