Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I’ll tell you a novelist’s secret: When creating a character, you must give them a wound and a lie they believe.
Why?
Because during the story arc, the wound will be healed and the lie exposed.
Is this really necessary? you may ask.
Yes. Because in the real world, we all have a wound and lie to deal with, and we often climb out of the pit (or are lifted out) by the struggle, encouragement, and victory we read about in the life of the fictional character.
One wound/lie situation is particularly prevalent in both the real and fictional world: the fatherless child.
Currently, I am reading Will the Circle Be Unbroken, a 2020 memoir (nonfiction) by well-known storyteller and novelist, Sean Dietrich.
I’ll not spoil the story for you by giving away the details, but I will share a line that gripped me by the throat:
“Fatherless kids will do odd things to avoid being unloved.”
Unloved.
That’s the wound and the lie all rolled into one. It’s a lie that has been repeated since Adam and Eve picked the wrong tree in the Garden of Eden.
They bit the lie before they bit the apple.
Satan, our enemy, is still using that lie today. He whispers in the ears of the fatherless, “You’re worthless, no one loves you. You’ll never amount to anything.”
To some, he goes so far as to suggest they kill themselves. I heard the testimony of a man to whom this happened. His cry to Jesus saved his life at that moment and forever. He discovered the love of his truest father, God Almighty.
Many of us may not have a loving, earthly father, but we do have a Heavenly Father who pursues us with His love through Jesus.
On the other hand, many of us are not that “fatherless” person, but we know someone who is.
Let’s ask God to show us who they are so we can tell them about the Father who is pursuing them. Let’s show them where the Bible tells says the Father loves us. We can use the scriptures below to start with, and then add others.
This is good news—good news we can’t afford to not share:
“You are loved.”
~
Because you are his sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’
So you are no longer a slave,
but God’s child;
and since you are his child,
God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4:6-7
See what great love
the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called
children of God!
And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1
For the Father Himself loves you,
because you have loved Me
and have believed that I came from God.
No, the Father himself loves you
because you have loved me
and have believed that I came from God.
John 16:27
But you, when you pray,
go into your room,
and when you have shut your door,
pray to your Father who is
in the secret place;
and your Father who sees
in secret will reward you openly.
Matthew 6:6
Historical Western Christmas Romance – coming soon!
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
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