Faithful to the Call

 

The words of Habakkuk Chapter Two resonate in the ears of many Christian writers I know – including me:

This passage is clearly about the calling that many feel to write. And yes, I believe this applies to fiction writers, too. The fact that God uses story to reach people is well documented. After all, Jesus himself used parables to get his message across.

Stories are a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled writer and can influence and impact long after the entertainment factor has worn off. Take for instance Frank Peretti’s iconic This Present Darkness. It continues to be a spiritual warrior’s call to action, even after almost thirty years. (Apparently a revised edition came out in 2003. I still have the original 1980s version…) Other authors like C.S. Lewis, Francine Rivers, and others come to mind as weavers of stories that have had a lasting and profound impact on a spiritual level.

I don’t presume to lump myself in with such glowing examples, but I have been blessed to receive feedback from readers telling me my work affected them in a positive way. I love to tell stories of redemption and grace based on characters that are less than squeaky clean, but whom God uses anyway. I think people appreciate the fact that God keeps short accounts when we come to faith in Christ. There is hope for everyone – even the most unlikely.

Keep on writing faithfully, my dear friends, both here and in the other things God has laid on your heart. It is a high calling not to be taken lightly.

This article was originally posted on the Word Guild blog ‘Canadian Writers Who Are Christian‘ on September 27, 2015.