Playing God: Life Lessons I've Learned From Writing Fantasy - Part 1

    The last few weeks have brought up a lot of little thoughts that have combined into one big breakthrough. Let's just say that my mom and I have been learning a lot about life, love, and God. 

    In this three-part series of blog posts, I'm going to try and summarize the thoughts I've accumulated--but I doubt it will be easy, because there's a lot here. I am never going to be able to collect all the revelations, realizations, and lessons we've had into one neat series of blog posts, and I'm not sure I'd want to try taking on that monolithic task anyway. 

    As a result, this series is just going to be about God, and the things I've unknowingly learned about Him from 5 years of intensive study into the art and craft of fantasy writing. 

  The first piece to this giant puzzle is the answer to the question, "Why fantasy writing?" (Or, rather, fiction writing in general...)

    This ties in to the first thought that contributed to my recent discoveries. I was in Young Women's last Sunday, and someone brought up the idea that God is like an author in that He knows the plot of our lives, and so will ensure that everything turns out okay for us.

    As a fantasy author, I can verify that this is something many authors do. To use myself as an example, one of the first things I do when I've finished developing a character is to take this brand-new person I've imagined, sit them down on a couch in my mind, and give them the following lecture:

    "Hello, ______. You're probably wondering what I've got planned for you. Well, I can't tell you all of that--some things need to be a surprise for the sake of the story--but I will tell you that nothing I throw against you will be impossible to overcome. Even in your darkest moments, I'll still be in control of the story, and I'll make sure that everything turns out okay."

    I think God tells us exactly the same thing in every dark space and time. He is our Author, the one with the plot in hand. He knows us better than we do. He knows our potential and what we are capable of, and He knows the great things we are destined to do. 

    So, whoever and wherever you are, whatever you're facing in life right now, please take this author's word for it that The Author has everything in hand. He's got you! He's watching over you and helping you along, even if you don't see it yet. His influence is touching every aspect of your life, from the people around you to the situations you find yourself in to the decisions you're making right now. Keep trying to do the right thing. Keep moving forward. Believe me, He is going to turn all this to your good.

    As the quote over our kitchen sink says, "Divine right action [or Divine plot, as we could say] is taking place in my life. Only good comes from each experience." God knows what He's doing, and He knows His ultimate goal for your life. Trust Him when He makes decisions regarding your life, because everything you're going through right now is going to build you up and make you into the person He knows you can become.

    God believes in you. I believe in you. It's okay for you to believe in you, too.