Wooeee! I finished my last story last week, a Scottish set summer novella for the fabulous Splash summer novella anthology releasing in June, and now it’s straight into the next story. These characters have been nagging me to come back and rewrite and old draft that’s been sitting on my hard drive. They’ve waited and waited, and now it’s their turn!
But I’ve come smack bang against a problem in the first page. My new heroine has a moral dilemma. She’s won the opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity to create a garden at a prestigious London flower show. This is the chance she needs to make a new life for herself and break free of the way her abusive much older husband still controls her life- even now she’s a widow! But the supplies she needs, goods she used every penny of her own money she had to buy, are being held in the warehouse because the business has gone bust. They’re earmarked for her, the law recognises they are rightfully hers, and she’ll get them eventually. In about eight weeks, once the accountants work their way through the entire business, when the plants are all dead and worthless and the show is long gone.
So what should she do? Break the law by taking the goods early; or obey the law and lose not only the chance she prayed so hard for, but all her savings? Not only that, she’ll be letting down the people she agreed she’d employ to help build the garden, prisoners from the local low security prison. The work experience and references could make the difference between them going straight after release, or breaking the law again. But if the price is that she breaks the law herself…?
When I first drafted this story, about four years ago, it was easy. There wasn’t any question. If the law was unfair, she should break it. Easy as that.
Then God gave me His wake up call, and brought me back to Him. Things are different now. I’m not just answerable to the laws of my country, but to God’s laws too.
All of you must obey the government rulers. Everyone who rules was given the power to rule by God. And all those who rule now were given that power by God. So anyone who is against the government is really against something God has commanded. Romans 13: 1-2 (ERV)
Not a lot of room for doubt there. Liss absolutely can’t steal back her property, even though most people would consider it rightfully hers. Unless keeping the law of the country would require her to break God’s law, she has to obey.
Her prayers for a solution are answered, thankfully, or the story would be a very short one! Though she doesn’t steal, she does venture into a grey area, not quite breaking the law. And God makes wonderful use of her action, to change both her life and the hero’s life!
The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbour the same as you love yourself.” Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law. Romans 13:9-10 (ERV)
So my question is- what circumstances would you accept a Christian hero or heroine breaking the government’s law? Have you ever read a book that’s happened in? Have you ever been placed in an ethical dilemma that forces you to do it yourself?
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USA Today bestselling author Autumn Macarthur writes romances full of faith and hope, celebrating God's love as well as a man and a woman finding their happily ever after. She prays they’ll warm your heart and make you smile. An Australian transplanted to Britain, Autumn lives just north of London with her lovely English husband and three demanding cats, in a very small house with a teensy tiny garden. She loves talking to readers, so please get in touch! And get a free Christian romance novella when you sign up for her reader newsletter at http://bit.ly/Autumnsubscribe
What a dilemma! You can’t fall back on the old adage: ‘easier to get forgiveness than permission’ when it’s a question of breaking the law. I’m looking forward to reading your story after it is released – hopefully it will help me decide what I would do!
Thanks Diane :)
I think between them my hero and heroine figured out an answer that thankfully didn’t require either of them to break the law. Phew!
Tough questions, Autumn! I love this article. It’s so enticing towards your story and even more so toward the Word of God and how it helps (or hurts?) your heroine’s plans. I’m so intrigued and can’t wait to read it.
Sometimes there is some gray area. Other times, the laws must be broken in order to do the right thing. Think of the Austrians (and others) who helped hide Jews during the WWII era. Many of those Jews lived through the war thanks to those brave people who broke Hitler’s laws of turning them in. Sometimes the people who hid them were murdered or sent to the death camps themselves, with or without the Jews being found and sent along too. Though I don’t presume to know what God was thinking at the time these events took place, I have a hard time imagining that He would condemn those who tried to save lives by breaking an evil man’s laws.
And no, I have not broken a law that I’m aware of.
Blessings,
Andrea
That’s such a good example, Andrea. There are definitely times when God’s Law of Love must take precedence over the laws of man.
There are still places where people do have to make those choices, every day. Praying for them, and I hope never to be put in that situation. Certainly, my heroine doesn’t have such a compelling reason.
Breaking laws myself – I had a speeding ticket in 1994, but I drive more carefully now. :) And at one stage when I was considering working in a Middle Eastern country where Bibles are illegal, I tried to work out how I could take one with me.
Love Romans 13:10. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for visiting, Terrill! I find Love is a far harder law to keep than the government laws. I know I break that law far more often, despite my good intentions. Thank God for His Grace and forgiveness!
In the book of Daniel, he and his friends refused to worship the King (which was the law), but worshipped and prayed to God instead. They were thrown in a lion’s den. However, because they choose God over man, God prevented the lions from harming them. I know I’ve broken some speeding laws, and without thought, taken some sticky notes and pens from the office. I paid a fine for the tickets, but wasn’t penalized for the sticky notes and pens. It is a dilemma, but thankfully God is forgiving and doesn’t punish us as we deserve for our sins!
I agree, Stacey! God’s love and forgiveness is the greatest gift, and we all need it. And yes, oops, I need to add sticky notes and pens to my list of law breaking too.
Daniel’s situation and the situation for the church Paul wrote the letter to the Romans too are so similar. Good example!
Following along with Stacey’s biblical example, our pastor was just talking about Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-Nego in last nights Bible study. This reminds me of following God’s laws. Because these three men choose not to bow down to the golden statue, even though it was law (or you die), God saved them and was with them in the fiery furnace! God made a way for them to be faithful to him. My pastor also preaches that we need to obey man’s law as long as it doesn’t go against God’s laws. So speeding, stealing, things of that nature would be against what God would have a Christian to do. Not that we SHOULD do them in the first place, after all we should want to please Him in all things. But if I had to choose serving God over some official or die, I would choose God. After all, I know where I will go after my death :-)
So I think as long as it doesn’t go against God’s laws, we need to be obedient in man’s laws. As for books, I’d want to see my characters be law abiding citizens! I’ve not read a book where they haven’t been. I’ve seen them struggle with some decisions (ie:right way in man’s eyes or God’s way), but in the end, they’ve chosen God’s ways. And God has worked it out in some other way which is always a nice twist to a story. I so admire authors who stick with their Christian principles in their writing!
For me, when it comes to ethical things, God always nudges me in some way. Maybe something just doesn’t feel right or I keep hesitating or I have no peace about it. That’s when I know what I’m about to is not okay in God’s eyes. This is why He gave us the Holy Spirit, to teach us in all truth and be our conscience (if you will). I have ignored that before, and boy I don’t like the results! This is why I must always be close to Him so I don’t step over boundaries in my walk. He’s ever faithful when we choose Him instead of what we want :-)
That’s so true, Trixi. We’re given the gift of the Spirit both to show us the right path, and to empower us to follow God’s will for our lives. And yes, God also gave us free will, the capacity to choose to ignore the nudges and whispers of Spirit, but that never works out well! His plan is the best way.
Reading this old manuscript I wrote some years ago when I wasn’t walking right with God has both shocked me, and blessed me. It’s full of things I wouldn’t want in my books now, or in my life! At the time I wrote it, it seemed tame compared to what most of the other secular authors I knew were writing. But the blessing is that it also shows me how far God has brought me, how much He’s worked in my life since I turned back to him. What I once considered acceptable is now way over the line. He is so good! Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged in the day-to-day struggles and beat myself up for our failings. I’m sure I’m not the only one to do that! God gave me a gift by showing just how far He has brought me.
Now I have to bring the characters on that same journey, to choosing God’s way over the way of the world. :)
Autumn, I’m intrigued by the premise of your story and looking forward to reading it :)
Thanks Narelle <3 It's coming together, slowly :)