If you could eavesdrop on a conversation between a group of writers, you might hear them say things like, “How’s the new WIP coming along?” “My WIP refuses to cooperate.” “I’m almost done with my WIP.”
And you might think they’ve lost their marbles (totally possible) or that they have their own language (also true). But “WIP” stands for Work in Progress.
Right now, my WIP is my next book, Not Until The End. And I’m also in the brainstorming stages for the book after that, Whispers of Truth, so I think it’s fair to consider that a WIP as well.
But I have other, non-writing WIPs as well. For example, there’s this puzzle my husband and I are working on.
When it’s done, it’s supposed to look like this:
Yeah, I can’t see how that’s going to happen either. But eventually we’ll move these various segments into the right places and find the pieces that bring the jumbled parts together and the completed picture will look just like it’s supposed to. (That first image of the mixed up puzzle is exactly what it looks like in my brain when I’m revising a WIP, by the way.)
Come to think of it, I’m a WIP as well. And, if I may dare to presume, so are you. Just as there are certain words, like WIP, that writers use, there are also words that Christians use to describe the work God is doing (and has done) in us.
The first is justification, or God’s act of declaring us “not guilty” for our sins. Our justification is not a work in progress. It was completed at the cross, when Jesus took the punishment for every one of our sins on himself. His resurrection gives us the assurance of God’s forgiveness and the promise that one day we will be with him in glory everlasting.
The other word is sanctification, the process by which God works in our hearts to lead us to live holy lives out of thankfulness for our justification. And that is a work in progress. Because even though Jesus has freed us from the guilt of our sins, as long as we are on this side of heaven, we will still struggle with temptation. As God put it in Genesis, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). That’s a pretty terrifying picture, isn’t it, sin crouching at our door? But thankfully, God doesn’t expect us to figure out our sanctification on our own. In fact, we can’t. It’s only through him and his power that we can turn away from sin and live in a God-pleasing way. As the apostle Paul put it, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). And, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Okay, I could go on with verses like this all day (they’re so encouraging, aren’t they!). But as I was thinking about this, I realized that this is what’s so compelling about Christian romance. It shows us characters who are still works in progress. They may already know they are justified by grace, or they may come to know it in the course of the story. And at the same time, they are learning to live for the Lord. They don’t always get it right, they slip, they sin, and as they learn from those experiences, so do we.
Even at the end of the story, as we sigh with joy at their happily ever after, we also know that they will continue to face challenges in the future (because that’s life). But that’s okay. Because we also know that God will bring them through those challenges. He will continue the work in progress of their sanctification. And he will continue to assure them that their justification is already a done deal. And so is ours.
Your turn: What kinds of faith struggles have you read about in a Christian romance that have really touched you? Are there any faith struggles you would like to see more of in Christian fiction?
Valerie M. Bodden has three great loves: Jesus, her family, and books. And chocolate (okay, four great loves). She writes emotion-filled Christian fiction that weaves real-life problems, real-life people, and real-life faith. Her characters may (okay, will) experience some heartache along the way, but true to her tendencies as a hopeless romantic, she will always give them a happy ending. Valerie is living out her happily ever after in Wisconsin with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and their four children. Visit her at www.valeriembodden.com to get a free story.
I think all of what you’ve said is so right, and sums up why I love CCR! I always enjoy reading about characters who struggle to feel that God loves them just the way they are (as a Work In Progress), and that his Grace is freely given, not deserved, as I struggle with this myself.
So aptly put, and it creates hope for everyone, that’s why I love CCR. Interestingly today a friend was discussing her grandfathers upcoming Celebration of Life to be held today. The inherent conflict that would create in the older members of my family who are strictly of the belief that there will only be funerals which are for releasing souls into God’s care and celebrating God’s love and grace. Yet my friend’s Pa was a devout Christian and lived his life fully in God’s love and this was a celebration of the positive impact he made in the world and he did and was much loved – that difference could be a conflict. What a great post, thanks :)
There are a lot of struggles I’ve read in stories! Infertility, miscarriages, and more. One I’ve seen twice are women who think they are “less than” because for some reason they had to have a hysterectomy. To see the men in their lives help them see they are not “less than” was great reads! I’ve also read a few where a female character was dealing with breast cancer, and I’ve read some where one or the other main character was dealing with a missing limb(s), and a couple where a main character was in a wheelchair. I think there’s quite a bit of diversity now.
Yes! That’s a struggle I love to see play out on the pages of a story as well because it’s so realistic. In theory, God’s grace should be easy for us–because we don’t have to do anything to earn it–and yet we so often convince ourselves that there must be something we have to do to deserve God’s love. Watching a character learn that God’s grace is freely given is a great reminder to us as well!
You bring up an interesting point! It can be hard for us, even as Christians, to agree on exactly how a funeral or celebration of life should be held. We want to remember the person’s life of service to the Lord in this world but also celebrate the eternal life they’ve been born to in Christ. I guess Paul summed up that conflict when he said, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Thanks for sharing this!
I agree with you! I love the variety of conflict that we’re seeing in CCR and the various challenges, including physical challenges, that characters face. I feel like these challenges are not only realistic but bring a lot of depth to the stories.
Thank you so much for sharing. There are so many beliefs from one denomination to another. There are times that one denomination feels they have dominion over the others. Some are looked at higher than others. It can be challenging for new believers to be caught in the cross fire of some conversations. God bless you.
That’s a good point–and I could see how getting caught in the crossfire of such a conversation (or even argument) might point a new believer away from Christ instead of to him. Something we need to be aware of! Thanks for sharing!