In the last year or so, I have discovered that my friend Amy is as much of a writer as I am. Writing/English is not the major either of us has pursued, but we both love to write. We both like to write fiction and tie Jesus into it a ton, that the reader might learn about Jesus from a different schema as he or she reads about this character’s experiences or that character’s life. Last weekend, Amy and I FINALLY had an opportunity to get together and bounce story ideas off of each other and write and encourage each other in our writing. We had been trying to get together since the beginning of November, and now that school is finally winding down, we found a time! We laid out our story skeletons and asked each other for input. We added to our own stories, and checked in to make sure that it was making sense. For each of our stories, we have been doing research and reading and writing a ton, and before the story is even begun, we know what is going to happen.
The greatest author of all time is God. Since before time began, God knew all the things that would happen. He knew me, and he knew you. He also knew the climax of his story, how the plot would move forward to get there, and how the story would find a resolution. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Since the beginning, God has known the end of earth’s story, and all the stories of humankind. He knew that our world would be broken, and that there wouldn’t be any way he could have the relationship with us he wanted so badly. He knew that he would have to send his son to become flesh, be born into poverty and in this broken world, surrender everything, and die. God knew that in his death, Jesus would be taking on the sins of the whole world, and through it, we could find redemption. The greatest author of all time began foreshadowing in the beginning, and uses language we can understand but that’s so complex and its meaning so deep, that we have to keep searching over and over again. I am talking about both the Bible and real life, here. Everything that happens does so for a reason. Good prevails, even if it doesn’t feel like it from our end. The bad things that happen to us are what keep the plot moving forward, it’s what develops character. And if we’re looking for it, we may realize that God is saturated in everything and has been guiding us and teaching us the whole time. We don’t get to see the whole picture until we reach the end. But we can TRUST that this divine author knows what he’s doing.
Which brings me to another matter: sometimes, I try to write my own story. Which is dumb, because there are things I can’t control, and compared to God, even the greatest award-winning author here on earth can’t come CLOSE to his awesomeness. When I take the pen and barge in, I feel like I have control. But I also am overwhelmed with worry and anxiety. However, when I give God the pen to my life and let HIM write it, I feel much better. And, more than feeling, because basing things on feelings isn’t always smart. I think that life in general is a lot easier to live when you’re just living it and not trying to take on responsibility that isn’t yours. This was my biggest struggle in high school, I think. The whole control thing. Which is trying to write your own story. So I’ll just say it: as a writer, you suck. So do I. God does things that aren’t even imaginable! Also, he didn’t have to spend weeks planning what he was going to “write” before he began. He just IS.
That’s not to say that you’re living in a storybook, but it is to point out that you aren’t the main character. Neither am I, neither is anybody but Christ. And since it’s his story that you play a significant supporting role in, why not live out the part? But don’t worry, God is taking care of that, as well. You don’t have to try too hard. You just have to be willing. Which leads me to the greatness of God. What? We don’t even have to do anything we don’t think we can? Just ask Christ to help us out? (Disclaimer: Jesus won’t do your homework for you. That’s not what I’m talking about. But if you ask him, he may just give you motivation and focus, which is what we need! Grr, finals.)
Another note about God’s awesome writing: he includes every genre in one story. How cool is that!? You say it can’t be done, but alas, look up. 🙂
After finals, I think I’ll be writing. But in the meantime and every time, I will admire and worship the divine, the Great Author. I surrender the pen and write my story. (I’m in suspense– what will happen next!?)
Anna 🙂
Anna E. Meyer 