“A Christian Author? Really?”
That was the response I received at the park the other day as I talked with a woman I just met as our sons became quick friends in the sand box. I’ll admit, I didn’t know how to respond. In a heartbeat, several scenarios ran through my mind:
Lady: “A Christian Author? Really?”
Me: “Right? I’m mean, there aren’t many of us.”
Which lead me to think, Why aren’t there more of us?
or…
Lady: “A Christian Author? Really?”
Me: “I know, can you believe it?” said with a negative tone.
But, no. This isn’t the correct response. I hope that if you ever met me, it would completely make sense. What else would I write about?
My actual response:
“Yep.”
Her next question: “Why? I mean, haven’t all the stories about Jesus been told in the Bible?”
Me: “No. It’s likely that all the stories about Jesus aren’t even in the Bible. We have a few, but he was 33 years old when he was crucified. He lived, traveled and taught his Apostles for three years. There is no way ALL of that is included in the Gospels. Besides, if Jesus is who he says he is – the Savior – and he is; if he taught us that we can find forgiveness and mercy in our belief in him – and we can; if he promised us Heaven – and it’s real, does his story end with his Resurrection and Ascension? No. If Jesus is the Son of God, then he is just as active in the lives of people today as he was when he walked the earth. There are millions of stories there. I try to tell just a few.”
She liked my answer, but lamented the fact that so many writers today write to shock, to sell, to entertain, to fall into a popular trend. Her comment lead me to prayerfully consider what we as a community of people are called to do. Where do we find the list of goals and instructions for our lives? Yeah, the Bible. Below are the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. The bullet point listed in blue is what I’ve added specifically in regard to my purpose as a writer, but the question should be asked of every person in every career.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Counsel the doubtful.
- Encourage the youth.
- Speak kindly and honestly.
- Spend time with those who doubt the faith.
- We are not called to relax in our faith, but to strive toward bringing the faith to others. Faith in God is Truth. Share it. It will change the world.
- Write stories that inspire those who have been hurt, those who have seen terrible things. Write the truth.
Instruct the ignorant.
- Teach by example. Not only your own children, but everyone you come in contact with.
- Read and share. If you haven’t read a book in the last week, you have nothing new to share.
- Tutor
- Be a mentor.
- Write about the time you learned humility. What about that time you learned what it meant to be virtuous? Does your writing instruct (without being preachy) or do your characters simply react to situations without an overall guiding belief?
Admonish the sinner.
- Again, teach by example.
- Be gentle in your words of correction.
- When Ben Franklin was young, he was an unkind know-it-all whom no one liked. When this was pointed out to him by a good friend, Ben started tempering his statements with:
- I might be wrong, but I think…
- It seems to me that…
- What do you think will happen when/if…
- (I’m going to add this one) I think I know what you are going through. Can I tell what you happened to me?
- When Ben Franklin was young, he was an unkind know-it-all whom no one liked. When this was pointed out to him by a good friend, Ben started tempering his statements with:
- Admonish, according to the dictionary.com means: to caution, advise, or counsel against something. Although this has a negative connotation, it doesn’t have to be practiced in that way. Admonishment can – and should – be encouragement.
- For writers, the rule is “Don’t preach. Entertain.” No one appreciates being told they are wrong. What story helped you understand how to make good decisions? What can you share that will help others learn from your (or a characters’) mistakes? The best experience is someone else’s experience.
Comfort the sorrowful.
- Hug those who need you.
- Write letters to friends. Good old-fashioned letters with hand-written messages sent with a stamp.
- Bring food to friends who are sad.
- Cry with them.
- Listen.
- Text, Facebook, and Twitter encouragement.
- What does your writing – fiction or non-fiction – do to support hope? The world is full of sorrow, conflict, and death. While death is in our future, it should never be a way of life. Offer life.
Forgive all injuries.
- Forgiveness is the greatest medicine of all! You know that thing that so&so did all those years ago? Yeah, that. You felt your skin flash with heat at the thought of it. Let it go. (Don’t sing the song, just let that feeling go.) Forgive them. Forget the event. Learn from it, don’t repeat it. But don’t allow that event to dictate your future.
- Forgiveness doesn’t make you weak. Think about what it means to forgive. It means that you aren’t going to harness a mistake to another person. If you believe that slavery is a horrifying human existence, then you would never pierce another person with the irons of un-forgiveness.
- Forgiveness not only helps the other person move forward, but it does the same for you. Un-forgiveness chains you to the past.
- How does your writing reflect the power of Forgiveness? Do you know the power of forgiveness? Explore it in your writing.
Bear wrongs patiently.
- People who have strong character have high expectations for themselves, but are easy on others. Those who have a weak character have really high expectations for everyone else, but are easy on themselves. Think of the last big football game you watched with a big crowd (at the stadium, tailgating, or a Super Bowl setting). Was the person shouting the loudest and most passionately at the players bearing a less than athletic physique? Who are we to impatiently watch others try and fail if we are just sitting on the sidelines?
- Even if we are actively involved, we must allow for error because someday it will be our turn to sit in the hot seat.
- Writers practice this always… with those agents and editors that don’t know how amazing we are 🙂
Pray for the living and the dead.
- Who can’t use more prayer?
- The Catholic Church teaches that we can still pray for those who have died. There are three different levels of existence: The Church Triumphant (Saints in heaven. And not just the Saints the Catholic Church celebrates, but every soul that has made it to heaven); The Church Militant (Us. Now. We living souls in the World who struggle to survive, to believe, to have faith); the Church Suffering (those who have died and are in Purgatory. Purgatory is to be feared, but it’s like the ultimate cleansing before heaven. Based on my studies on this topic, I would much prefer to go straight to heaven and skip the cleansing fires of Purgatory. But if it’s between the cleansing fires of Purgatory and the damning fires of Hell, I chose Purgatory.) All that to say, the Church Triumphant prays for us (Militant) and for the Suffering (Souls in Purgatory). We can do something similar. We can pray for the Suffering (to reach Heaven soon) and ask the soul in Heaven (because they have already triumphed) to pray for us in our sufferings. Just as we pray for our family and friends, so too can those in heaven pray for us. As a writer, or in choosing books to read, do I choose Triumphant literature (steeped in Truth), Militant literature (stories of those striving for Good and Right), or Suffering Literature (stories that change how I see suffering, sacrifice, pain, and difficulty as a means to beauty). If I write anything outside of these, I am choosing to fill my mind with stories that do me no good.
I would be interested to hear your opinion on these Spiritual Works of Mercy. It’s not a question of faith, but of intent. What is the purpose of your writing, or your career, your hobbies?