How embracing the good news has helped me in my writing

Good news makes us very happy. Sometimes ecstatically so. The Springboks lift the Webb Ellis World Cup rugby trophy. All over the country, fans celebrate uninhibitedly. They come out in their numbers to cheer the Boks who are bussed through their streets. A student passes his final year at university with distinction. Friends and family host a dinner in honour of their success. After a series of long and gruelling interviews for a new job, a woman hears that she is the successful candidate. So thrilled is she that she treats her friends and family to a special dinner. A man hears the good news that he cannot die. He praises God with all his heart and soul.

But wait! That’s impossible! Of course all people must die. But must they really? Not if they’ve repented of their sins and believed that Jesus has saved them so that they can be with Him for eternity.

The good news of God’s grace has prompted me, for over a decade, to devote all my attention to writing Christian fiction for all ages. As the Lord has given me the gift of writing, I feel highly motivated to try to share something about His message of salvation with my readers, no matter how young or old they may be. Some of my messages are more overt than others, but whatever the story, the motivation is the same: to try to share God’s love and grace with the world.

In my picture book for young children, The Rainbow Game, for example, where a small girl is eager to see a rainbow, when she does finally get her wish, she gets more than she bargained for: a lesson in God’s love, plus a link, through a child’s game, to the fruits of the Spirit. And in Trees Full of Treasure, I take my young readers on a treasure hunt to discover the true meaning of the gifts they receive at Christmas.

For teenage readers, The Golden Highway, the first book in my fantasy trilogy, explores the consequences of choosing the wide pathway which is full of temptations, rather than the rocky, narrow way which is full of hardships, but which ultimately leads to much more fulfilling rewards.

Much biblical research was necessary for me to equip me to write my adult, factional novel, Headlines in Heaven, which celebrated Jesus’ miracles. And for my two books, Mighty Master Plan and Significant Signposts and its sequel, One Day and Then and Now, I carefully re-read the bible from start to finish in order to give my readers and viewers (striking line drawings enhance the texts of both books) an overview of key themes in the bible.              

In summary, the good news of God’s salvation has basically formed the core of all my Christian writing, even when my messages are not overt. My main motivation in writing Christian books is to honour God with the gifts he has given me and to share the good news with my readers.

I have an important question for you to consider: Is Christianity inclusive or exclusive? What do we mean by this? We are considering Christianity in the religious context, and asking whether this religion includes all people, or whether it excludes some people. There is a misconception here that I would like to address, so let's take a closer look.

As a Christian, you have probably frequently heard the complaint from unbelievers that Christianity is an exclusive religion, that it’s intolerant of people from other faiths. That it side-lines millions of people from around the world whose beliefs are vastly different from Christians.

“Why can only Christians go to heaven?” they say.
“I’m a devout believer – just not in Christ. Why must I be excluded?”
“You Christians are so arrogant. You think you’re so perfect!”
“I know so many people who’re so much better than you – do you really think you’ll get to heaven and they won’t!”
“You’re delusional!”

All these questions and arguments are sadly misguided. How do I dare to say that? Who do I think I am? How do I dare condemn other people?

The truth is, I’m not condemning. I’m not judging. My firm belief that Jesus is the only way to God is based on what God Himself said about His Son, on the multiple miracles that Jesus did to prove that He was the Son of God and that He had authority on earth to forgive sins, and on the apostles’ eye-witness accounts of what Jesus did on earth, how he died, how he appeared to them in bodily form after His death and how He was finally raised to heaven before their very eyes to take up His position in heaven at the right hand of God, His Father.

Christianity’s avowal that you must believe in Jesus as God’s Son to be saved may at first appear to be exclusive, but if you dig a little deeper, you will discover that Christianity is the most inclusive religion on earth. For Christ died to save ALL sinners, not just some of them. In His own words as he was commissioning His disciples,

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit …

(Mathew 28, v.19)

And what a testament to God’s amazing love for the whole world that He sent His perfect Son to live amongst sinful humanity, becoming the sacrificial lamb, willingly laying down His life so that those who believe in Him will be saved. What amazing love. What an incredible sacrifice. Knowing that the perfect judge, His Father, cannot look on sin, He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, taking on the sin of the whole world.

Why did He allow Himself to be put through such an agonising death on the cross? Because it was His Father’s will. Because there was no other way to save mankind. Because He loves us so much that he willingly lay down His life for us.

Exclusive? Yes, but so inclusive. All who turn to Him are saved from death. They are covered by Jesus’ blood, the blood of the lamb. Jesus has exchanged His perfection for our sinfulness, so that God can look on us and include us in His kingdom because of our new perfection in Christ. What an awesome exchange. What an amazing gift – the free gift of eternal like. What extraordinarily inspiring love.

We will all be enriched by embracing this miraculous, inclusive exclusivity. God’s name be praised for sending such a spotless Saviour for the whole world.

Do you believe that writers can subtly influence readers through their stories? If so, how can they do this without being didactic? Without being too preachy, how can writers infuse their stories with life-affirming messages showcasing virtues like love and charity? And why would writers want to showcase these virtues in the first place? Reading about these virtues will hopefully inspire and uplift readers.

In this blog, you will find some tips about how to do just that: how you can incorporate these values into your writing without being too obvious about it.

Five tips for incorporating good values in your writing:

1. The golden rule of good writing is to ‘Show’, not ‘Tell’. In this case, show your characters in action. Don’t tell us they are loving people, show that they are through their actions.
2. Remember your story. Craft a compelling plot. Include a ‘hook’ at the beginning of your story to draw your reader in, develop your plot, leading up to a climax, and make your story so fascinating and page-turning that your readers won’t be able to put your book down.
3. Create believable characters. Make your readers empathise with your characters so that they can experience what is happening to them. Don’t make them too ‘good’ or too ‘bad’ either. Even heroes/heroines have flaws, and villains have some redeeming features.
4. Allow one or two of your characters to show acts of kindness towards someone else. Whether these acts of kindness are appreciated by the other characters in your book doesn’t matter. What does matter is that your readers can appreciate these acts of kindness.
5. Weave themes of charity into your story, especially if you are writing for children and young adults.

Some examples of themes of charity and love in my writing

Although I don’t always deliberately set out to include themes of charity in my writing, as the characters interact with one another, and even with strangers, they demonstrate these qualities. I have, after all (since 2013), re-invented myself as a Christian writer, so I am subconsciously introducing ‘good seeds’ into my books. In my stories ‘Who Will Help’ and ‘The Provider’ (which appear in my short story anthology, Tapestries), the characters unselfishly decide to make sacrifices to help the hungry, the cold and the lonely. But their decisions to act in this way don’t detract from the stories. In ‘Violet Cupcakes’ (which appears in the anthology, Explorations), the girls act counter-intuitively by making cupcakes for Violet, who has been very nasty to them, an act that has surprising consequences. In the heart-warming story, ‘The Good Sheep’ (in Shine), the protagonist consciously tries to be kind to several different people because she is trying very hard to be one of Jesus’ sheep. Then there are two books which stand on their own: The Biggest Blessing and Modern Manna, the former about an individual act of kindness and the latter about a community act of kindness.

Sharing good values

There are so many dark stories out there in the world: crime stories, disturbing dystopian stories, ones about dysfunctional people, violence and explicit sex, some of them incorporating frequent swear words. I would like my stories to be infused with positive messages so that readers can enjoy learning about characters who genuinely make a difference in their small worlds. Hopefully, reading about love in action will motivate the readers to model some of this behaviour in their own lives, or at the very least, be inspired by the books and uplifted by their messages.

Human love, although truly wonderful, can be fickle. However much we are loved by family members and friends, it is a rare love indeed that is agape love, a love that accepts us for who we are, warts and all: an unconditional love. If we are privileged enough to experience love like this on this earth, we are mightily blessed. Unselfish, sacrificial love makes us feel so valued; but of course, this type of love is reciprocal. We need to extend love like this to other people as well, and this is a big challenge, especially if the object of our love behaves in an unlovable way – as we do, often, if we are honest with ourselves.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We can be ‘loveable’; we can ‘love’ unselfishly, granted not all the time, if we model our love on the greatest role model in all of history: Jesus Christ. And if we are ever feeling unloved on this earth, we can consider just how much Jesus loved us by pondering the following facts:

1. Jesus left heaven to be born in a stable for us.
2. He lived life as a humble carpenter for us.
3. He shared His Father’s very words with us as He taught all over Judea and Galilee.
4. He healed the sick and taught us how to pray and how to honour His Father.
5. He offered His body as a living sacrifice, taking on the ugliness of sin so that we could be saved.
6. He died an agonising death on the cross so that we could live forever with Him.

If we embrace Christ’s agape love for us, we can indeed feel deeply loved, highly valued and humbly grateful. Jesus himself said to His disciples: Greater love hath no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15, v.13

Once we appreciate the full measure of Jesus’ love for us, we can only respond in worship and thanksgiving. And hard though it may be, we can try to respond by modelling His love in the world. We have the perfect example of how to be compassionate, understanding, gracious, patient and forgiving. If we trace Jesus’ life on earth through the gospels, we will see Him tirelessly putting Himself out, not only for His disciples but for all who followed Him. Not once does He show impatience when asked to heal the sick, feed the multitudes, and teach the people. Despite being mobbed by the crowds, He found time, mainly in the dead of night, to pray to His Father. But always He showed compassion for the sick, the hungry, the needy; sincere love for the men whom he had chosen as His disciples, even the one who betrayed Him, and an overwhelming love for the whole world – to all who would believe in His saving work on the cross. He wants us to be with him for all eternity – what an invitation. How can we not respond to it?

Living loved –basking in Jesus’ love for us – we are equipped to love the living – to share Jesus’ love with the world. In my case, Jesus’ love for me motivates me to write Christian books, as I would love to be able to share His love, in an incredibly small way, with ‘the world’. If even one reader is influenced/inspired by one of the messages in my stories, I will give all the praise to Jesus who equipped me to write in the first place. Oh, how awesome and unfathomable is the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Some Christian authors I have spoken to feel a heavy weight of responsibility to reflect Christ in their storytelling. With this in mind, they pray earnestly for guidance from the Holy Spirit before they even contemplate writing a fictional book. Some tell me they wait a long time before they get the inspiration to write; others scour through the Bible for their inspiration; while still others start to put pen to paper as soon as they get the initial idea. How wonderful it is that every writer is unique and that no two people on the earth and throughout history have ever been exactly the same. Viva le difference! And so it is with their writing. Whatever genre they are writing in: picture books for very young children, books for slightly older, primary school children, teens or adults, their stories will be infused with Christian messages which align with their purposes for writing their fiction.

But how do these writers balance their spiritual messages with engaging narratives? And can Christian writers reach secular audiences as well as Christian audiences? How do they write authentic fiction when they are deliberately trying to weave themes like Christ’s love into their fiction?

I would argue that all fiction consists of the basic components of plot, character, setting, point of view, theme and style. So, first and foremost, authors need to be true to their craft. In this blog, I will briefly discuss each of these components of the story, in turn, to show how to write authentic faith-based fiction:

Plot

If you want to create a gripping, compelling plot, structure is key. Introduce an intriguing ‘hook’ early on in your story, so that your reader will want to know how the story develops.

Introduce a view of problems which need to be solved, perhaps a small problem, a bigger problem and still a bigger one, leading up to a climax. If the climax is dramatic enough, the reader might be surprised; it could pique his/her interest and encourage him/her to continue reading. You can easily introduce a moral dimension into your plot. What is at stake for your characters? What are the consequences for them if they perform well/badly? How will their actions affect other characters in the story like their friends, relatives or even their ‘enemies’, i.e. the antagonists who will try at every turn to block them from achieving their goals.

Characters

Authentic characters are essential to any story, and strange as it may seem, are often compilations of people you know or have met. To write realistically about people, it is helpful if you have experienced many of the character traits that you write about in your fiction. Some of these character traits will emerge subconsciously – you may even be writing about yourself – the characters will, in some ways, behave as you would in a particular situation. And if you do write about a ‘saintly’ character, a character who behaves in a Christ-like way, you will be reinforcing biblical values and weaving Christ’s love into your writing. Despite including your saintly character in your book, you can still make him/her authentic by giving him/her some flaws, so that your character doesn’t seem too good to be true. And if your characters are attractive enough, Christian and secular readers alike could be attracted to your book. Of course, your antagonists can be devilish characters, who will provide a foil for your ‘good’ characters, thereby increasing the interest of your book – with the added bonus that your ‘good’ characters will be challenged to overcome and to persevere, especially if obstacles are placed in their paths.

Setting, point of view, theme and style

Each of these components is important to consider if you wish to write compelling fiction. Describe your setting so well that your readers will imagine they have been to the place; if you choose the more manageable third-person point of view, your story will likely flow well, and you can then incorporate your theme, for example, into your dialogue: what the characters say to each other can be particularly revealing regarding the theme. And as for style, just write in the best possible way that you can.

Summary

With all these story elements in place, your Christian-based story is likely to sound authentic and will hopefully appeal to Christian and secular audiences alike.

So, happy story-telling!!

Small acts of kindness can make a big difference to someone’s day. Sometimes, we don’t even realise how big a difference. I have been the recipient of many acts of kindness. Realising how much better I feel when someone else has been kind to me, I have tried, in turn, to share a little bit of kindness in the world. Every act of kindness should be celebrated because, no matter how small the act, it demonstrates love in action.

Recently, I was thrilled to be able to display my books at a Winter market. During a lull in trade, while getting some coffee, I got chatting to one of the other traders who was explaining to me about her serious health problems. From what I could gather, she wasn’t expecting to live for very long: she was on dialysis but had decided to stop it at the end of the year. Without dialysis, it wouldn’t be long before her kidneys failed. I was so struck by her cheerful acceptance of the situation that I was prompted to go to her table to donate one of my books to her. The book I chose was: One Day; Then and Now, which is about the last day of this world as we know it, heaven in the future (Then) and how we can model heaven on earth (Now). I felt that this particular book, which consists of minimal text and striking illustrations, would be particularly relevant for her at this stage of her life. She was deeply appreciative that I was giving her a book – when she tried to pay me for it, I told her it was a gift. She immediately reciprocated by giving me one of her cupcakes and some lemon curd. Such small acts of reciprocal kindness, but what a difference it made to both of our days.

Then more than four decades ago, I remember an occasion when I and my husband, who died in 2000, were very short of money. One of his building projects was going very wrong, and we were being hounded by the sheriff, we couldn’t pay our bills and in fact, our financial situation was pretty dire. A man who I hardly knew heard about our problems; he was in the ministry and didn’t have much money himself. One day, he handed me an envelope. In it was R500, a large sum for him in his circumstances, but he really wanted to help us in any way he could. I was so touched by his generous gift and have never forgotten his act of kindness.

Another very thoughtful act I will never forget was an invitation to Christmas lunch. Except for a niece and her family, I don’t have family in Cape Town: I have two children living in the UK and one in Bloemfontein, a sister in Jo’burg and two brothers in the UK and Australia respectively. So I was feeling a bit sorry for myself because I would be alone on Christmas day – except – a kind lady from my bible study asked me to join her family for Christmas lunch. What a blessing, and what a wonderful Christmas day I had. Not being a cook myself – I only do basic as I’ve lived alone for so long and don’t particularly like cooking – I decided to put my name down as a host for our church Sunday lunches. I ordered a meal from a local home-cooking industry, except for the dessert which I braved myself. It was lovely to have new people in my home – a couple I probably wouldn’t have met had I not hosted the lunch. Small acts of kindness in the form of hospitality, both as a recipient and as a host: both occasions made my day!!!

I could go on…being given a lift to the hospital for an op, visiting an old lady fortnightly in an old age home and many other small acts of kindness both as a recipient and as a giver, but what a difference these seemingly insignificant acts of kindness make to someone’s day, maybe even to someone’s year. And the memories of these acts of kindness can linger long after they have been performed.

How tempting it is to beat yourself up as a writer. In the challenging and sometimes arduous task of creating a book, doubts can assail you: ‘Am I writing anything that people will want to read?’; ‘Will my readers be bored?’; ‘Will I ever even finish this chapter, let alone a whole novel?’ ‘And if I can’t even write it, who will read it?’ ‘Is it worth it, when readers are dwindling?’

I’ve been writing for almost four decades now, and I’m still occasionally asking the same questions. While I’ve learnt to still those nagging voices in my head, every now and again they re-surface, especially when I’m working on a more extended text. But I’ve learnt to be forgiving of my weaknesses, as those negative voices are extremely counter-productive; if I didn’t allow myself a little grace, I don’t think I’d ever finish anything, with the possible exception of a picture book, a genre which is in my blood.

At present, I am trying to write an adult novel, which may end up as a shorter allegorical text or a coffee-table display book. As a Christian writer, in particular, I am finding that I have an extra weight of responsibility on my shoulders. My mantra as an author is to ‘spread good seeds in the world’; that’s why I am now focusing exclusively on writing Christian fiction for all ages. So I have other questions I ask myself, chief of which is: ‘Do my stories honour God?’ And of course, ‘Will my stories resonate with my readers: very young children, older children, young adults and adults…if I indeed manage to get my books into the hands of readers. I have many author friends who have the same problems as I do in this regard, but for me, it’s more of a mission. Think of my mantra and you will understand why.

Practically speaking, some of the pitfalls and everyday struggles are:

1. Self-criticism – Am I being relevant enough? What will prospective readers learn from me? Will they enjoy my books?
2. Perfectionism – Is my manuscript as good as it can be? How can I make it better?
3. Staleness – I’ve written 90 books now. Will I be able to think of any new ideas? Haven’t I exhausted all my ideas? How can I make my writing fresh?
4. A message-bearer – Am I being too didactic? Do the messages I’m trying to communicate with my readers weave naturally through my stories?

If I’m really honest with myself, most of the time when I write, especially if I’m working on a picture book, I feel highly inspired and my writing flows. However, there are occasions when I do doubt myself, especially as I’ve always found marketing a serious challenge. As often discussed with my writer friends, finding readers and selling books is becoming more and more difficult in this digital-crazy world. But I keep having to remind myself of my mission: to write for the glory of God; to send ‘good seeds’ into the world; and to share life-affirming fiction with as many readers as possible, particularly with children and young adults. Sometimes, I feel guilty about my negative thoughts relating to my writing and marketing efforts. I do pray for guidance, but I don’t pray enough; I do pray that God will help me with finding suitable homes for my books, but I don’t pray enough; and when I do pray, I criticise myself for my prayers being so me-focused and selfish…when compared to all the serious issues millions of people are facing in the world.

For me to improve my writing, and for my personal growth, I need to learn how to ‘forgive’ myself, to beat myself up less, to allow myself some breaks – I have always been very driven – and to write with more grace. My author friend and I often talk about how we should celebrate the small mercies/achievements. If one new book is published (and I have two coming out soon: a gorgeous picture book entitled ‘Celestia’s Dancing, Prancing Doves…the illustrations are absolutely stunning…’; and a teenage novel set in Cape Town – Brighter than the Sun), or if one reader buys a book, that’s cause for a celebration.

So I will try to write with more ‘grace’ towards myself, beat myself up less when the process is not going so well, and celebrate the small successes and every ‘good seed’ that is planted in a reader’s home.

Who can begin to understand the depths of God’s grace? Reflecting on the meaning of the word itself – undeserved favour – makes His grace even more difficult to understand. I believe that it is easy to take God’s grace for granted unless we reflect on the enormity of our sins. Sin, of course, is an unpopular word, but the acts of sin are very ugly. And the consequences of sin are dire, not only for individuals but for whole countries and continents. It was the poet, Robert Burns, who said: ‘Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn.’ How powerfully applicable is this quote to the intense suffering men, women and children suffer in times of war – think Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan. And what about the suffering caused by greed, corruption, horrible crimes like extortion, murder and rape…the list could go on. And lest we become puffed up by our own ‘goodness’ or ‘innocence’, just think of all the evil thoughts that flash through our minds every day, thoughts of envy, slander, pride…

That God could love us despite the state of our hearts is beyond understanding. That He could extend His grace to us despite our evil thoughts, desires and actions is truly remarkable, especially when we consider how difficult it is for us to forgive others when we have been wronged. Even long before God sent His Son into the world, He was guiding His people, helping them, encouraging them, and speaking to them either directly or through the words of the prophets, but they would not listen. They ignored Him, practised idol-worship, being unfaithful to Him, going their own way, definitely not obeying His laws.  Over and over again, God withheld His mighty hand of justice on his unrepentant, obstinate people, but still they would not listen. He sent warnings, He sent encouragements, He sent prophets, but still they would not listen. How tremendous is the patience of our God. And how holy. How hurtful it is for Him to look on sin. How painful it must be for Him to punish mankind because of sin. That He destroyed the whole beautiful world He had made in the flood is an indication of how much He detests wickedness. But also the story of Noah demonstrates how He rewards righteousness.  He is, indeed, a just and gracious God, so holy that He cannot look on sin. Which presented Him with a huge dilemma: How could He be a God of justice if He allowed sin to go unpunished? Being God, He absolutely had to punish sin. Which brings me to the unfathomable act of grace He enacted for the whole world.

How much He must love His people that finally, when He saw there was no other way, He sent His own Son, Jesus, into the world so that He could legitimately save His people from all their wickedness. Jesus, the perfect man-God, took the punishment for all our sins on the cross, the most amazing act of grace that has ever, and will ever be performed in the whole world. What a statement to the world was made on the night that Jesus died. What a statement about God’s unconditional love for us, His people. And what a statement about Jesus’ obedience, even to death on the cross.

How can people turn their backs on Jesus, on his amazing act of self-sacrifice, on the impact of His rescue, on God’s promise of eternal life for those who believe in His Son. There is so little we have to do to be redeemed: believe in Jesus – confessing with our mouths that He is Lord – and we will be saved. And there is so much that God did to redeem us – sacrificing His beloved Son to agonising physical, mental and spiritual torment on the cross – to save us.

As difficult as it is for us to understand the enormity of what God did for us, we can, however, embrace His great gift of grace as we bask in His amazing love for us. I can’t help thinking of a simple Sunday school song that sums up God’s message of love and grace: ‘Wide wide as the ocean, deep as the deepest sea, High, high as the heaven’s above, Is my Saviour’s love, I though so unworthy, Still am a child of His care, Yet His love teaches me, as His love reaches me, Everywhere.

What inspiring stories there are in the Bible of men and women who trusted God so completely that they were prepared to give up everything: their homes, their families, their comforts and even their future prospects. Some of my favourite Old Testament stories of faith being demonstrated in action are those of Joseph, Ruth and Mordecai/Esther. When I read these ancient stories, I am awed by the considerable sacrifices these men and women made. In the face of great hardships and difficulties, these characters from the Scriptures persevered, trusted God and were greatly blessed by Him.

Joseph - Faith in Suffering

Considering how painful Joseph’s life was as a young man – scorned by his brothers and sold into slavery by them, wrongfully accused of abusing his slave-master, Potiphar’s wife, flung into prison for a crime he didn’t commit, left there to languish in prison – it is inspiring to learn that God was with Joseph in everything he did, that God blessed him every step of the way, and that God finally honours him by making him second only to Pharaoh in the land. What a journey from trial to triumph. And what a testimony to Joseph’s trust in God, that not once in the narrative do we read about Joseph’s complaining. Even when he is confronted by his brothers who were instrumental in all his suffering, he completely forgives them as he highlights the bigger picture at work in all of their lives, telling them: But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45, v.7 God had not only blessed Joseph by making him second-in-command to Pharaoh, but He had saved whole countries and communities from famine through Joseph’s wise leadership. What an inspiring story of faith in action, a story which completely turned around Joseph’s life of suffering and separation to a life of triumph and reunion with his whole family, including his father, Israel, who is brought down to Egypt to live with Joseph in the land of Goshen.

Ruth - Faith in Uncertainty

Another biblical character who inspires me is Ruth, the Moabitess. The fact that after her husband dies in her land, she offers to go back to Bethlehem with Naomi, her mother-in-law, leaving her own family, her land and her gods, is remarkable. Because of her love for Naomi, she insists: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1, v. 15 What courage. What loyalty. What faith. Hard-working, humble and obedient, her gleaning in Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer’s field, does, of course, result in triumph. What a wonderful story of faith in action, and what an extraordinary outcome, as, through marriage to Boaz, she becomes one of the women in the Messiah’s line. An ancestor to the earthly Jesus. God can indeed turn a rather tragic trial into a tremendous victory.

Esther - Faith for Deliverance

The third person I would like to mention in this blog is the beautiful Queen Esther. She wouldn’t, of course, have become Queen to King Xerxes of Persia had it not been for her uncle Mordecai. But what courage it must have taken for Esther to go and stand in view of the King – unless you had been specifically summoned, it could mean your death warrant – and plead for the life of your nation. Haman, insulted by Mordecai not bowing down to him, had asked for an edict from the King to destroy all Jews. Once again, God is working out a plan for the saving of His nation, but that was only possible through the obedience and courage of Esther. As Mordecai states, He of course could have raised up someone else to carry out this task, but it is Esther, because of her obedience, He uses to carry out the deliverance of the Jews. What a story of faith in action leading to triumph.

It’s indeed motivating to see how God uses the humblest of people to fulfil His purposes on earth. He just needs faithful people to be His instruments so that He can work out His good and perfect plans in this world. With these inspiring biblical stories in mind, it is worth reflecting on what we can do to further His purposes on this earth.

If, like me, you take great care in planning your weeks, months, and even the years ahead, you are sure to have experienced many disappointments. Life can send us so many curved balls—unexpected events, broken relationships, people letting us down, and our plans going awry. How often do our lives go exactly the way we want them to? And how confident are we that our plans will succeed?

Sometimes, when I expect too much from life, I find myself trusting far too completely in my own plans. I have even become quite disorientated at times when my plans collapse like a pack of cards. But then I have to give myself a serious talking-to! Too much trust in myself can be extremely counter-productive; it can even result in disillusionment as my dreams crumble to dust! Maybe I’ve been expecting too much from life. Maybe I should trust less in myself and more in God; in His good and perfect plan for my life. After all, He made me, so of course He knows what’s best for me. I tell myself to recite in my head those well-known verses from Proverbs or Jeremiah:

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3, vs.5-6

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’  Jeremiah 29, v. 11

A couple of decades ago, God powerfully demonstrated to me that His plans for my future are so much better than mine. I had been working part-time at a school in Hilton, pouring my heart and soul into the job, giving my all to my students, compiling the school magazine and participating in extra-mural activities, so when a full-time post at the school was advertised, I applied, confident that I would get the job. I was devastated when my application was unsuccessful. However, three other posts at girl’s high schools were advertised in Pietermaritzburg. I applied for them all. Meanwhile, I happened to see a job advertised in the Sunday Times for a school in Johannesburg where my mother lived. But in Hilton and surrounds, doors and windows kept slamming in my face. Disappointment after disappointment. I didn’t even get an interview at any of those schools.

Little did I know that God was working in the background to secure a better future for me.  Instead of a job interview in Maritzburg, he orchestrated one for me in Jo’burg. I flew up for it, had a wonderful weekend with my family, and was delighted when the school refunded me my airfare. Against all expectations, I was offered a full-time English post in Johannesburg, which allowed me to live with my mother for the last seven years of her life. This was such a blessing for both of us; I will always treasure those precious years.

This is not the only time in my life that, unbeknown to me and especially after a disappointment, God has been planning something so much more rewarding for me. But I’ve used the above story as an example of how amazingly rewarding and fulfilling it is to trust God’s plans for my life over mine. All too often, I have almost obsessively prayed for something that would not, in the long term, have been good for me. And that’s just for things in this life. As I look back on my life, I realise that many of the disappointments I’ve experienced have moulded my character, refined me and, in many instances, humbled me, preparing me for my future inheritance. And how freeing it is to walk by faith and to trust in God. To increase my faith, I steep myself in God’s recorded promises that are so abundant in the bible, as well as reflecting on the extraordinary stories of faithful men and women who trusted God even amid hardships, trials and temptations.

Inspired by these examples, I try to walk by faith and not by sight.