Honor: 1 a : good name or public esteem : reputation b : a showing of usually merited respect : recognition : pay honor to our founder 2 : privilege: had the honor of joining the captain for dinner According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, honor can be defined as a good name, the act of showing respect, or simply a privilege—a privilege to serve, or to be in the presence of someone greater than oneself. If you’ve seen my blog post My Writing Testimony, you’ll know that I haven’t always honored God with my writing. For a long time I was in denial—I didn’t think that God could possibly use me—which is of course complete and utter nonsense. God can do whatever He wants. Still, I was a little selfish. I wanted to hang on to the gift He’d given me a little bit longer, and write the stories that I wanted to write. Besides, adding my faith into an already personal thing scared me. What I didn’t know then was the fact that God has given us our gifts for a reason, and that reason is always to serve Him. He’s the author and finisher of our faith, and as such He always has and always will be the best storyteller in the universe. On the day that Jesus rose from the grave He gave us the biggest plot twist in the history of plot twists. Because of that, I want my pen to mirror whatever poor reflection of His glory that it can. And how exactly do I go about that? I try to start each and every writing or editing session by sending up a quick prayer for His guidance. I know that when I try to write in my own power, I just end up with a giant mess. (Believe me—take it from the girl who’s had to edit those same messes.) But when I start out admitting that I can't, but He can—and asking Him to give me the words to write, He always comes through. There is no sweeter form of worship than when we use our gifts for His glory.
Notice that I'm not going to offer a discourse on what a Christian can and can't write about. That is simply between you and God. If your heart is truly aligned with His, the rest will fall into place—and I don't think you'll end up with the fluffy stuff that predominates the Christian genre. With God's prompting, I've written about abuse, slavery, death, grief, injustice, hypocrisy, and war. There is a place for escapist fiction, but there's also a huge place for fiction that takes life's sorrows, faces them, and replies with real, tangible hope. Not the false hope that becoming a Christian will make life a bed of roses, but the hope that knows God will always be with them—even in the hard times. That He'll walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you." Isaiah 43:2 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 I’m not perfect, and I certainly don’t pretend to be. I don’t know you, and I definitely don’t know what your writing journey has looked like. All I know is this: that God has given us our gifts for a reason, and He wants us to use them for His glory. When we align our hearts with His will, miracles happen.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Welcome!Welcome to Katelyn Buxton Books! I'm a Christian author and blogger, with a passion for writing stories that are not just enjoyable, but also lead people closer to Jesus. Feel free to look around, and enjoy your stay! Archives
October 2021
|