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| Melinda Viergever Inman |
The
Greatest Privilege
The world is seriously messed up. It is broken. We, the
human race, did this. It started with Adam, and since then it has continued
from generation to generation. All human beings are deeply flawed. All we must
do to contribute to the general mess is to simply be ourselves. Even at our
best, we still bumble along.
We set out to be perfect parents and loving adults, an
impossible task and a naive assumption given the fact that we can't even get
through a twenty-four-hour period without selfish thoughts, words, or deeds.
Our motives are tinged with self, even when in the midst of our best choices.
We pray our kids survive our bumbling.
Jesus knew this, so He came to take on our sins, pay for
them with His innocent life, and rise again so that we might be justified and
declared righteous in God's eyes. As a result, we look forward to the hope of
heaven, and we have hope in Him for this life as well. Our outlook is different
now. It's renewed by the love of God. And we feel that same hope for our
children and grandchildren as we pray in faith for them.
Our salvation, the growth that accompanies it, and this
steadfast hope for the future is not pie in the sky, but is the gift of God to
the believer. We are blessed, for we know there is a happy ending with Christ.
We've read the end of the book.
And on top of that we're Christian writers. We are the
authors of the modern-day parables that have the potential to turn hearts
toward God as we weave potent and powerful novels, revealing truth in story
form.
The life events we experience as sinners who struggle,
learn, and grow can be tucked into our tales to shine light on the way out of
peril. The trials and experiences that have drawn us to God and have grown us
in wisdom can become stories that reach into other bleeding hearts and offer
the balm of Gilead.
Brothers
and sisters, do you see what a blessing this is?
This is
the greatest privilege ever!
We are the storytellers in an era that craves narrative and
rhyme and that longs for the reasons to arise from the chaos. This is the
greatest blessing of all, to walk in the footsteps of the Master Storyteller,
the Author of our faith and our salvation.
We have been given the gift of telling stories that draw our readers to Jesus, that make sense of their trials, and that provide hope for their heartaches. We are empowered to use the mightiest tool in the Holy Spirit's arsenal—a well-told story, a parable of truth.
Savor this. Allow Him to use your failures, your mistakes,
your weaknesses, and your vulnerability. Let Him guide and shape your stories,
your conclusions, and the principles illustrated by your tales. Choose to be
courageous, to rely on Him for the strength to write fearlessly, humbly, and
transparently. Go where others have feared to tread with pen and keyboard.
Write for Him! This is the greatest privilege ever afforded
a writer!
Love
takes action: The Creator God establishes the cosmos and shapes a man. Adam
rises from the dust. Envious, the powerful angel Lucifer despises him.
Oblivious to the threat, Adam is captivated by his strong, intuitive wife Eve.
In the Garden of Eden, they enjoy abundant food, gorgeous vistas, and
intriguing challenges, including their budding love and passion. They have it
all!
But
Lucifer’s deceptive brilliance tricks them into disobeying God. They eat the
one forbidden fruit. Their innocence is shattered. Their unity with one another
and with God is destroyed. Death will follow. Lucifer’s jealousy threatens
mankind’s tenuous beginning. But God is merciful. What astonishing promise does
He make? How will Adam and Eve survive—broken, shattered, and separated from God?
Melinda Viergever Inman was
raised in a storytelling family. There her roots were sunk. During years of
relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots
and ran from herself and from God. A journey of trial and heartache brought her
home again. A prodigal now returned, she writes with passion, illustrating
God's love for wounded people as He makes beauty from ashes. Fallen is her second novel; Refuge, the sequel, is her first.
Melinda shepherds women in prison ministry and writes inspirational material at
http://melindainman.com/blog/. With her family she is involved with Mission
India/RIMI, rescuing orphans and providing theological and job training for
impoverished students.
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