I've been working on rewriting a story for the past couple of months. This meant lots of plot work, new twists to the character's back stories, and etc. One afternoon, I while I was going over the structure of the story and trying to shape the main character's character arc, I noticed a new theme. One I hadn't intended to write into it, but there it was.
My character has a history of failing to some degree. She feels like she failed nursing school, she failed her first patient, and she had a friendship that failed way back when she was a teenager. That day was when I noticed she was afraid of failure. Aren't we all? There are times, I'll admit, that I'm afraid to send my writing out into the publishing world. I'm afraid of the rejection letters that are inevitable in the life of every blossoming writer. I'm afraid of what they will think of my words. . . of the message I send out into the world. Will they love it? Hate it? Brush it aside as something not worth their time? After all, publishers get a bazillion queries, book proposals, and the like. What are the chances of having your story singled out of all those others? Well, back to the story. (No pun intended!) The past two days I've been pondering this new direction in the story's theme and trying to find verses that speak on the subject, and that's when I remembered a verse I'd heard awhile ago. "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me." (Micah 7:8) And there was another passage from Psalm 37 that I looked up as well. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." (Ps. 37:23-24) I reread the verse from Micah tonight and hit me. This is one characteristic of a Christian that stands out. When we sin, we don't sit down in defeat. We get back up, repent, and our relationship with the Lord is restored. And we do that many times in our lifetime. What makes us stand out? When we fall down, we don't stay down. With God's strength and grace, we get back up and try again. I feel like those passages and the character's journey with that theme resonated with the season I'm currently in. Don't let the enemy rejoice over your defeat. Get back up. . . and determine to try your very best. Over and over and over again. Don't let your fear of failure hold you back. If you fail, you'll learn and grow. Then you'll get back up and start over again. So take courage, readers! If we're more than conquerors through Christ, don't settle for a seat on the ground. Brush that dust off of you and rise up, taking hold of God's strength, and keep on keeping on. :)
1 Comment
Carolyn Oravitz
7/29/2021 08:12:07 am
Great and encouraging word. Thank you so much, Carolyn.
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AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
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