I've been told by Christians, to give up writing. I've been subjected to opinions, that writing is a nice career choice, if I can pull it off, but has no purpose in God's eternal plans. People have asked me why I want to write- why I think God wants me to write. Here's my answer:
School reading books are filled with horribly boring, disturbing, and depressing stories, that didn't carry enough detail to draw me in. There were maybe three stories I enjoyed enough to go back and read, over all my years of elementary school. The things I was forced to write about were of the same cloth- informational essays, a short event- and really the writing was solely to practice my cursive, which I was horrid at and hated.
Let me get off subject for a second to note that homeschooling saved me, because even though ADD didn't make homeschooling any easier than regular [private] school, I quickly recognized the freedom I had over content. As I progressed into high school, I chose the way I learned history, mixing the subject with English, which made both so much more exciting. Normally when I read history, I would get distracted by imagining actually being there- but now I had the freedom to set it aside and tackle some English by actually writing out my ideas. I got to choose what books I wanted to read, I met teachers [homeschool moms] who passed onto me, a love for what they were teaching, whether is was English or Biology [Math never stuck with me until after I graduated though haha]. Homeschooling, because of the freedom it gave, nurtured in me a LOVE for learning, and in turn a love for all the places I could take that knowledge through writing. I still catch myself researching things I have no need to know, just because I love learning and storing. Also let me note, history would be a lot more interesting and productive, if we could get into discussions about the stories, rather than getting caught up in the numbers and statistics.
To get back to the point, through homeschooling, I learned to love learning, and more importantly, reading and writing. Quickly, I began to write my own stories- more like scenarios because I never managed to finish any.
In some ways, I was using writing as an escape, something I don't think is a good thing. You should never try to escape reality with fantasy, it doesn't end well and it isn't healthy. As I realized that I was doing this, I took a good hard look at my heart, my intentions, and what I wanted. Being a Christian, above all else, I wanted to put God first. Escaping my reality is running from the place God put me. My heart and intentions were to escape an ebbing loneliness and stale purposelessness with something on fire and alive.
Good intentions, bad execution.
In loneliness, I should have run to God, the only One who can actually cure loneliness 110% of the time. In purposelessness, I should have asked God for more, who has plenty for me to live for. I didn't know these things at the time, neither did I truly learn what it is to have God cure your loneliness until just a few months ago. Walking with God is a process.
What I did see at that time, was that I was using writing selfishly and solely for my own enjoyment, entertainment, and gratification. I made a decision: I would not write anything just for the experience anymore. Every story I put to paper- or the computer- would have to be glorifying to God, and pointing back to Him. I could still enjoy those stories, I just wouldn't be living in a constant state of self-indulgence anymore- at least in writing. Later, I had to make the same decision in my reading choices.
In a way, I'm an adrenaline-junky when it comes to the written word. I loved the places stories could take me, the people I could interact with, the experiences I could have that I could never have in real life. Although none of that is wrong- like everything else in the world- it can be corrupted with selfish intent.
This turn I took in my path, through the exotic world of Fiction, has found more significance over the years then it had when I first took it. I recently found myself asking if God wants me to write. I definitely want to be an author, the career sounds ideal to my social habits and I LOVE the work. But I have to ask what God wants- He has purposes and plans I don't see, that are far better than I can imagine.
God puts desires in us, to be used to His glory, in His plans and purposes He has for us. Our good desires aren't to be denied, just curbed until their time. The moment a desire causes sin in our lives, is the moment we don't exercise self-control over ourselves anymore, and take what want before God's time. God doesn't make mistakes; every part of your life- every desire- has a purpose.
God puts desires in us, to be used to His glory, in His plans and purposes He has for us. Our good desires aren't to be denied, just curbed until their time. The moment a desire causes sin in our lives, is the moment we don't exercise self-control over ourselves anymore, and take what want before God's time. God doesn't make mistakes; every part of your life- every desire- has a purpose.
Something I thought of recently, was Exodus 35:10 "Let all the skilled artisans among you come, and make everything the Lord has commanded."
God loves art. God loves stories. He is the true artist, who designed the universe and every intangible we make art about. He plotted and wrote the epic story of humanity, down to the detail and backstory, of every single player.
I have a friend who often relays to me, their disdain or depreciation for stories- movies, books- probably art too. I don't get it. Everything in the world belongs to God, every secular movie, has it's purpose for God, every war- every murder- why do I say this? Because God is in the business of taking Satan's attempts of war, and turning them on their head for His own glory. Look at the very gospel. Who would have thought, the hero of the story, would die? Who would have thought God, lowering Himself to the dust of humanity and being killed, could ever be turned for good?
God took the greatest crime of Satan- an attempt on God's life while in the form of a man- and let him get away with it, still using it for good of everyone. God took murder and ultimate hatred and evil and turned it into sacrifice and the greatest act of love and good the world has ever seen. He is definitely in the business of reclaiming His creation for good. In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote that we as Christians, are in the ministry of reconciliation, not just for humans to God, but all of God's good creation that has been corrupted by Satan.
That's what I see in writing. Some Christians look at the world and only see the secular. I look at the world and know God originally meant mediums being used for rampant evil, to be used for good.
Look at spoken word. I can tell you a joke and make you laugh. Or I can tell you the gospel and rend your heart in two. The first is entertaining, the other is life changing, cutting so finely to separate soul from spirit- bone from marrow. The same medium, two different purposes.
Movies are the same- art is the same. Satan uses these mediums for distracting entertainment, temptation, and advertising wickedness. God meant these mediums for His glory, to communicate His character, to spread the gospel.
Just as Exodus 35:10 shows that God wanted a universe of beautiful, purpose-filled detail in the first temple- a simple, makeshift tent-tabernacle- I think it's a clear God cares about beauty. Look at the world around you- it can't be denied that God is both an artist and an author. Just as doctors and scientist see God's intense attention to detail in science and biology, and the knitty-gritty engineering of every living thing and every piece of technology- God is a jack of all trades- in fact He's THE Jack of all trades.
To find my point once more- God has placed grand purpose in writing stories, just as He's placed grand purpose in every other job, down to the most seemingly minuscule and insignificant.
I came to the decision that every story idea I had, needed to be turned to God's glory, just as He takes every act in the world, whether evilly intended or well intended, and turns it to His glory. I decided I would not write a story, unless I had found a way to turn it back to God.
As a Christian, I write to glorify God. I am in the ministry of reconciliation, to reclaim every bit of God's creation to Him, because all things are created good. I'll finish by linking a video that helped me come to this view, by Jefferson Bethke, an awesome youtuber.
If you are a Christian, with stories and a heart to write, Go. Do it for God. Don't quit, God gave you those stories and has His own plans for them. Be flexible to let Him write the story through you. You are the pen in His hand, let Him work in you- let Him write His stories. Why should you write? To fulfill your ministry of reconciliation. Write.
