By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
“Inspirational romance—isn’t that an oxymoron?” A secular, general-market author fired the question at me during a family-related social gathering.
“No, you moron. It isn’t.”
I’d like to say the above response to the question is from a salty character in one of my novels, but it’s not. It’s from a pile of words in the back of my brain that didn’t make it past my teeth because I was biting my tongue for the sake of my daughter who was the reason for the gathering.
Thankfully, the assault on my chosen occupation of inspirational romance novelist did not come across social media, but rather, face to face. It’s easier to bite my tongue than my fingers when they’re flying over a keyboard.
Restraint is a common courtesy that is no longer common. It has fallen out of favor and given way to virtual blood-letting. The courtesy shortage appears to be most prevalent on social media where vitriolic viruses run rampant.
Have you noticed?
The other author’s mockery over a plate of hors d’oeuvres that evening stirred me to defend myself and my work. However, defensiveness is not attractive. And isn’t my job as a Christian fiction writer to attract people to the gospel?
How I accomplish that attraction varies from situation to situation. In the company of my family, a quick and simple explanation proved more appropriate than a tirade or sermonette.
But what if the conversation had taken place via the anonymity of social media? The other author on that important evening assumed that inspirational or godly ideas and morals cannot coexist with romance—that the two concepts oppose one another, as in sharp and dull in accordance with the Greek definition of oxymoron. His assumption revealed what he thought he knew about romance and what he didn’t know about God.
Had we been online discussing the merits of Christian fiction, how easy it would have been to post a personal potshot rather than de-escalate the mounting tension.
There will always be people who disagree with my chosen career field, moral opinions, and life-style ideas. A better writer than I encouraged believers to live wisely among nonbelievers, and to keep conversations gracious and well-seasoned.
God help me stand for what I believe without tripping over my own cutting comebacks. Hopefully, I will leave a good taste in people’s mouths after they visit with me—whether online or face-to-face—and leave the biting replies with my molars.
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive
so that you will have the right response for everyone.
Colossians 4:6 NLT
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Common courtesy is no longer common. Click To Tweet
Clay wanted nothing more than to feed Clarence Thatcher his teeth—julienned—but the man had been conveniently absent from the hotel when Clay went back for his clothes and saddle bags. The desk clerk returned half his money, more than expected, and Clay took the road east for the Hickman farm and a maiden mare.
This was where his and Sophie’s work overlapped—assisting life into the world. His fingers tightened on the reins. He’d like to assist a certain hotel owner out, but taking life was not what he did. In spite of what his father had told him. ~An Impossible Price
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
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(c) 2020 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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So good Davalynn! Hear hear!!! Keep on writing!
Thank you, Phylis. You are always an encouragement!
Thank you for your uplifting words of encouragement. I am not a writer but a reader, I have been asking The Lord to help me and my husband to remember to keep our comments to unkindly angry persons as God would have us respond. And by the way I love your newsletter you always brighten my day! I love you and Jesus loves you.
Thank you, Michelle. I’m glad this was an encouragement to you. And I’m happy to hear that you enjoy my quarterly newsletter! May your responses be uplifting to the many angry people out there.
You are amazing! I need your time management skills. Are they catching?
Lol, Karen. I wish I could “catch” a few more from other people!