At the ripe old age of 49, I've decided to return to college. It's not that I don't have enough to do. My writing plate is full, as are my pastor's wife and homeschool Mom platters. But God stirred my nest to step out and learn something new, and quite frankly, I love school.
I'm attending classes at a liberal arts community college, and it's been a refreshing wake-up call. Stepping out of my Christian bubble and interacting with the "real world" hasn't shocked me. (I don't live in a cave and kill my meat with a club. I have access to TV and the Internet and grew up in the '60s and '70s.) But stepping outside my comfort zone has reminded me of Whose I am and why I write.
My English teacher is a Witch. She announced to the class that Christians have caused more wars and wielded more hate than any other religion on earth. She holds degrees in philosophy and comparative religions. "I grew up Christian and studied all the religions of the world," she said, "and this is the one that best suits me because I believe there are many paths to God."
My history class has an element in it that believes anyone connected to the Tea Party are members of the Ku Klux Klan, are racist bigots, and ignorant rednecks. I'm not astonished. If highly educated peoples believe we evolved from a blob in a bog, I suppose the same sort of logic can lead them to a warped view of Tea Party folks.
If you know me, you know I can't remain mute when someone voices a fringe opinion. My English class is an arguments class and arguments are encouraged. Before I fully considered the consequences of my words, I heard myself speak. "I've searched all the religions, too, and I've decided to follow Jesus."
Silence.
I probably kissed an "A" good-bye in that class but that's okay. I don't think God puts us in those positions to sit idly by and remain quiet. I believe it's the same with writing. He doesn't give us the passion to endure this grueling profession for some random willy nilly purpose.
Being in the daily presence of humanists has solidified my mission as a writer. I write to expose Truth, to help people see the love of God in the midst of the failures of man. People are hungry to know God, whether they realize it or not. I write because God-inspired words contain the power of life and God's Words heal rather than destroy.
I yearn deeply for people to see God's character and this is why I sit at my computer for hours a day weaving stories that will lead seekers to the Promise. I want them to meet God's Son, so they can know that peace and hope are only a prayer away.
The lost write a message, too, and it's the opposite of hope. Only those of us who follow Jesus know True Hope, True Love, and True Eternal Victory. The world is starving for what we write. Would we pass by hungry children and refuse to feed them? When we let our egos get in the way of God's call, that's exactly what we do. It's tempting to give up after rejection by a publisher or agent. Jesus was rejected, too. What hope would there be if Jesus had felt sorry for Himself? His humiliation didn't stop Him from answering His call.
What matters is our obedience, being able to hear the voice of God, and answering the call to write what is true, noble, pure and just. God placed a fire in us to share the One True Path to God. People need our words to light the way because the path they travel is too dark and they are blinded by fallible human knowledge. Our obedience is paramount so those searching for Truth will hear God's call the loudest.
Too many fall away simply because they didn't have the right information put in front of them at the right time. We would do well to remember that we
must write so the lost can find their way.
Put your hands to the plow (i.e., keyboard, pen, et. al.) dear writer, and WRITE, to the glory of God.
Someone is dying and needs to read what God has to say.
Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth and daughter Heather.
Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth and daughter Heather.
