How Christian Fiction Mirrors the Hope God Gives Us
Hi friends,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks for taking time out of your day to stop by and spend a little time with me. Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and pull up a seat. Today I’m continuing my series on The Power of Christian Fiction. I started last week on the Inspired by Life and Fiction blog, which you can find here.
Today I’ll be sharing on how Christian fiction mirrors the hope God gives us.
I love happily-ever-afters. How about you? Think about your favorite swoon-worth HEA? Got it? I’d love if you’d share the name of the book in the comment section below. I’m always on the lookout for recommendations.
I heard actor Dwayne Johnson (primarily still known as The Rock) say that his producers want to end a certain movie of his on a sad note (Don’t worry. I won’t say which one. I don’t want to spoil anything). Dwayne politely and quite adamantly refused. He explained there was enough sadness in this world and that he wanted his movies to end on a satisfying, hopeful note. I’m so glad he did because it was a wonderful movie.
When it comes to Christian fiction, story structure and endings are genre dependent, but even those that don’t end on a full HEA almost always end on a hopeful note. The character or characters end up in a better place than when the story opened.
Fiction Character’s Growth
I love the beauty of watching characters grow, of seeing God work in their lives and of seeing stories infused with love, which is a gift from God. No matter the genre, within Christian Fiction hope exists. In contrast, not all secular fiction breathes hope into its stories, but the vast majority, if not all of, Christian Fiction does--even if it’s just the beauty of nature and the awe that fills us when we spend time in it. That’s what makes the Christian life and Christian Fiction, in particular, so inspiring.
Here’s an example of hope from my upcoming novel The Killing Tide. Enjoy the first sneak peek I’m sharing.
Here is a snippet of scene with my heroine Gabby Rowley.
The ocean settled her soul like nothing else. Being near God’s creation reminded her of His sovereignty and majesty. Setting the moon in the sky to control the tides . . . it awed her. Jesus walking on water, calming the storm . . . Knowing He tamed something so wild and free settled her soul in a way nothing else did.
It doesn’t have to be a full conversion in every story to infuse hope in us. Simply seeing the beauty of God, of His work in creation and in character’s lives fill us with hope and reminds us of the hope we have in Christ:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13 (NIV)
Thoughts from Becky Wade:
I asked my dear author friend Becky Wade if she’d share about her experience writing Christian Fiction and how it relates to hope, and she said:
“Writing books has grown my faith! It’s shown me what it feels like to put action behind Hebrews 11:1 which reads, ‘...faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’ Each time I sign a contract for books not yet written, each day when I show up at my computer uncertain of what to write next, I have to step forward in faith, trusting that the Lord will show up and write another story through me. I have to find assurance in something that’s hoped for… but not yet seen — the finished book. I have to believe that He’ll equip me to do what He’s called me to do, which is scary sometimes. Because I know I cannot do it without Him."
Hope of the Gospel
As writers of Christian Fiction and readers as well, we get to see the hope of the Gospel, the hope of our redemption and the love of Christ mirrored in the pages of each book.
Question for you:
What is one of your favorite Happily-Ever-After story endings. No spoilers, but I’d love to know the book title and the author. I’m always on the lookout for new reads.
As always, I look forward to hearing your answers.
Have a blessed day!
Dani
