The familiar children’s adage proclaims, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.”
But that is a lie. No doubt the saying has been used by well-meaning mothers and teachers to make children feel better about being taunted and teased, but the truth is that words can hurt.
As writers, we know they can also soothe and heal.
We make friends by sharing our thoughts and feelings and lives—especially through our words. That’s also how we touch readers—by inviting them into stories where they can share in the thoughts, feelings, and lives of our characters.
Words have substance and shape. They have identifiable characteristics. They represent order.
Words can glorify God and make Him visible. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:1, 14, NIV)
Jesus came into the world and made the Word visible. His physical body provided us a way to see and relate to God. It’s much easier to communicate with God through the man Jesus than if we only knew Him as Spirit. Similarly, we can converse with one who is the Word more easily than if He were only “thoughts.”
In God’s Word, the Bible, we learn about His plan for humanity, His eternal truths, and the laws He provided for our benefit. These laws form the basis for all of civilized society. In giving us His Word, God showed us every aspect of His love. He wrote this love letter to us with the blood of His only Son.
When we write stories based on God’s love letter, our words can heal and restore wounded hearts and broken spirits.
God our Maker signs each life with His unseen mark just as a potter puts his signature on the bottom of a vase or an author signs her book. By inscribing His name on us, He has given us a sign of His love. In our writing, we can reveal His imprint on our lives, and we can help our readers discover His mark on their lives.
Through our stories, God can turn harmful lies into truths that heal.
When we #write stories based on God’s love letter, our words can heal & restore wounded hearts & broken spirits. @mwcoutu on #WritingChristianFiction #whywewrite #amwriting @MaryAFelkins
“Sticks & stones may break my bones, but #words will never harm me” is a lie. @mwcoutu on #writing truth for #SeriouslyWrite @MaryAFelkins
Through our stories, readers can see God’s imprint on our lives & discover His mark on theirs. @mwcoutu on #WhyWeWrite #ChristianFiction on #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting @MaryAFelkins
Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like old houses, gnarly trees, and forgotten treasures. When she’s not writing about finding restoration and healing through God-designed journeys, she enjoys taking broken things and making them useful.
She is currently working on historical romance novels set in the 1930s. One manuscript won the 2019 Touched by Love Contest and the 2019 Sheila Contest, and a second novel also won in the Sheila Contest.
Her published novels are women’s contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. The Secret Heart, her newest release, and Thirsting for More, the second book in the series, were finalists in several contests.
You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook author page and her website, MarieWellsCoutu.com,
Follow her on Twitter @mwcoutu or on Amazon.
