Creativity part 2

OK, God, I think I’ve got my main character created – not from some man’s rib but in my imagination. That is, I know her vital statistics – where she lives, approximate age, career, etc. Still unsure of her name though. But what I really need now is to breathe some life into her. 

I need to know how she ticks. What she thinks. How she reacts in various situations. 

I need her back story. Why she thinks as she does. Why she reacts as she does.

So as I head for the car for a spot of childminding, I shall explore some options and see if, with your help, her lungs will begin to inflate and her brain will reveal some of its mysteries to me.

Not all writing is done at the desk. Somehow I need to get into this character’s skin.

Makes me think of someone else. You, Father God. You got into human skin so you could better identify with our temptations, our weaknesses, and save us from ourselves. Thank you. So grateful. Thank you. 

My aim is much less lofty. That is, I don’t intend to save this character or anyone else. But I would love it, Lord, if with your help someone in the future will read her story and through it, see you in all your glory, and receive your salvation.

Amen and amen.

Perspective

Places where I know no-one remain deserts in my heart. Maybe not so much deserts, as blank canvases. I don’t dislike them, but neither do I give them much thought. They are shapes on a map – uninhabited by anyone I love or know.

But as my family shifts around the world – as friends and fellow-believers move into countries previously unknown to me – my inner being sits up and takes notice, and I begin to pray for that place.

So it is that I find myself praying for Jamaica today, as Robbie heads off there on a mission trip. I am excited to hear stories of transformed lives, of healings, of new awakenings and deliverances. I’ve had my heart awakened to such a wide variety of places through the trips my kids have taken and the places they have lived – Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, The Gambia, Tanzania, India, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Australia, France, Greece, the USA. 

Then, as I read of people persecuted for their faith, my perspective widens further. I begin to care for the people of Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Libya, Vietnam, China, Colombia ... the list is longer than it should be and growing. One wonders if one day some of our western countries will be added to that ignominious list of countries where religious freedom is curtailed.

Jesus knows someone in every corner of the world. Not just one or two people: he knows every individual. The good, the bad and the ugly. He created them, he loves them, he died for them. There are no blanks on his vision of the world. His perspective is truly global, and totally minute. 

He loves every single individual, and cares about what is going on in every life. He is there for you and me, right now, wherever you are as you read this. 

How can anyone not be grateful, and overwhelmed by his selfless love?