Numerous believers write, and they do so in both the fiction and nonfiction arenas. Not all of them, however, write Christian Fiction (or Nonfiction).
I’m not here to bash any of those writers. I know some wonderful people in that camp, and they have their reasons. They also have a right to make their own choices.
What I do want to talk about today, though, is why I write Christian Fiction.
My love of writing started in the fourth grade. I wrote a sequel to Where the Red Fern Grows. Who could go wrong with an illustrious start like that, right?
Fast forward more than twenty years.
I wrote a eulogy for my nine-year-old daughter, and a part of me died with each word.
A week after the memorial service, a friend asked what I was going to do with the rest of my life. It wasn’t a question about my son, husband, or what remained or our family. It was a question about the hole in my heart and how I planned to fill it. In the next breath, that friend suggested I write – something I’d not done seriously in years. “That eulogy you wrote was really something. You should try writing.”
I went home, and I started to write that same day. I buried myself in it. I spent my days being the wife and mom everyone needed me to be. And I spend my sleepless nights typing away at the keyboard. I wrote, and I wrote, and I wrote. My first novel was published a year later.
Why do I write Christian Fiction?
Because God didn’t abandon me in my need. Writing helped me cope. It helped me grieve. It helped me find a way back to laughter. Writing is a gift that God handed to me during my darkest hour, and my conscience won’t allow me to write anything that doesn’t glorify Him.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t always happy with God in that year of writing. I clung to Him with everything I had, but that doesn’t mean I always did so with a heart full of joy. But even when my emotions were taking me in a hundred different directions, I held on. And I wrote.
I could quote Bible verses about how we’re to do everything as unto the Lord – which applies to our writing, too. We could talk about how we’re the temple of the Holy Spirit and that the things we produce from our temple (including ideas that become books) ought to be edifying to others. I’ve heard Christian authors make those arguments, as well as many other valid ones.
For me, though, it’s as simple as this: God gave me the gift of writing at a time in my life when I desperately needed it. And so, with everything I write, I will do my best to honor Him.
Is there something in your life special and sacred? A way you honor God that nobody but you and He fully understand? Tell me about it – I look forward to your comments!
Heather Gray loves coffee, God, her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that order! She writes approachable characters who, through the highs and lows of life, find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her. And, yeah, her books almost always have someone who's a coffee addict. Some things just can't be helped. Despite their different lives and situations, Heather’s characters have something in common. They're all flawed...but loved anyway.
Such a lovely post, Heather!
I talked to God all the time in my head mostly because that’s how i manage in this damaged world. So sorry about your precious daughter. Prayers and hugs!
Thank you for stopping by Elizabeth! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. :)
Hi Jenny! I can’t imagine living life without the constant comfort of the Holy Spirit or the promise of heaven. You’re right. We do live in a damaged world, but we have a holy God, and that is the thing we have to cling to above all else. Wishing you a blessed day colored with joy.
A very moving post – it can’t be easy to share that story. My heart goes out to you. At the same time, my hat goes off. It’s amazing that you were able to turn your pain into something good for others. I started writing when I was a girl and it’s always been therapeutic for me. I tried to write a book like Christy by Catherine Marshall, but everyone warned me that I’d never be published without curse words and sex scenes. I figured, once I was published, I could switch to Christian – I know now how unlikely that was! Meanwhile, my husband read a couple of Christian fiction books and became a believer! He’d been hearing it all his life, but somehow reading it that way drew him to the Lord. Needless to say, I started over! I love the way you state your reasons – think I will keep this email in my mailbox for a while, to be reread. Thanks for sharing!
Wow Heather. Thank you for such a powerful post. Loss is agonizing, particularly the loss of a beloved child. I am so happy to hear that writing helped you through the grieving process. Years ago when my mother passed away I was an aspiring author. I was so grief stricken that I put my manuscript away and didn’t focus on writing for many years. I think somehow I didn’t want to do something that made me happy because I was so sad about my mother. Life brings us dark moments and we do need God to walk us through them. Blessings.
Beautiful, moving and heartfelt post, Heather. It’s amazing how out of the darkest depths of our grief, the Lord can truly bring about something so beautiful that can impact others and help heal our hearts. Blessings on your writing and I appreciate you. Thank you.
Diane – Thank you so much for stopping by! And praise God for your husband’s salvation!! How awesome is that? And just imagine, if that’s what you choose to write, then God will use it. Christian fiction entertains a lot of people, but God uses it for more than just entertainment, and though we likely won’t see the results this side of heaven, I trust with all my heart that He puts every word we pen as Christian authors to good use.
Thank you for commenting Bella. I’ve learned that we each handle pain – and grief – differently, and the sadness of loss can overwhelm us like ocean waves. (I’m not a very good swimmer, so that analogy works for me.) I’m so glad you’ve found your way back to writing and to a place where you can allow yourself to be happy again. Grief is a journey, and I’m not sure that it’s a journey we ever complete in this life, but you’re absolutely right – God walks each and every step with us. He never abandons us to our sadness. Hugs!
Thank you for visiting JoAnn! I used to have this fairy tale picture of what adult life was going to be like, but you know what? We each have our darkest depths. Mine may be different from my neighbors, but we all have those places in our lives that we wish we’d never had to go. I reached a point where I had a choice – let Satan use my grief, or let God use it. There wasn’t a middle ground. I knew which side my daughter was cheering for, and so that’s the one I chose. It also helps that I’m terribly stubborn. It doesn’t mean I’m over the loss or that my heart is completely healed yet…but it does mean that I am His, that every part of me is His – writing, pain, joy, sorrow, and everything in between – I give it all to Him to use as He sees fit. (Which, if I’m completely honest, takes a LOT of the pressure of writing success off my shoulders. ;) ) Wishing you a blessed day!!
Very beautiful, moving, touching. Your words speak right to my heart.
Blessings to you.
Thank you for visiting Mary, and for your encouraging words. I’m generally a private person, but sometimes I open up and just throw myself out there – and I’m never quite sure how people will take it. Have a lovely day!
Thank you!
Without sounding trite, Heather, I am sorry for the loss of your precious daughter! That is absolutely heart wrenching and I couldn’t even imagine the pain and grief a parent can go through. I know God is God and He takes away and He gives, but I think I’d be questioning Him in that time. I’m sure you probably did and I also know He knows best, even in the hard times and the messy times. Life’s troubles can either bring us down or make us cling even more to Him. Sounds like God used your writing to help move past your grief and as a tool to move past the initial pain of loss. I am so glad that you recognized His hand in that time of your life! What an awesome testimony. I’ve never felt grief that like, so I can’t totally understand all the emotions you’d go through. But I do know this, God is with you even in the midst of it all! And He always turns our mourning into gladness, our sorrow and pain into praises…somehow, someway and someday He always does :-)
I don’t know if I have any special thing that I do that only God and I understand. I guess the only thing I can think of is my worship and music. When I hear certain songs, I instantly feel like I am in the presence of the Lord, singing just for him! It happens in church often. We sing a lot of the old hymns (I love them!) and just listening to the words and what they really mean, gets my heart prepared to hear His voice or anticipate what the Lord will speak through our pastor that day. Worship and music have always been more than just words on a piece of paper, it’s always been a vessel the Lord has used to bring me close to Him. I’ve sat in my house and turned up a CD and just closed my eyes and felt Him in the room….like an overflowing faucet! It’s really hard to describe, but He just fills every space and I feel peace, love & comfort. Just something about God inhabiting the praises of His people that brings special fellowship and intimacy! I just love it :-)
Trixi – Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your kind words. You’re right – there was a season of questioning, and if I’m entirely honest – there are still days of questioning, but even in the midst, I cling to what I know – God is good, and He loves my daughter even more than I do.
I love what you said about worship and praise music! I can’t hold a tune in a bucket (even if it’s been reinforced with duct tape)…but I absolutely love music. I think music speaks to our soul in a way that words aren’t always able to do. We connect with it – and with God through it – on an instinctive level that goes beyond our conscious choices. I’m so glad you have that special connection with God and can enjoy it like that!
Beautiful post, Heather. Thanks for sharing your heart with us.