Recently I read online an article about building characters in fiction and it got me to thinking about the fact that we do this with people who do not exist! The first step suggested is to lay out a thorough and detailed character sketch, outlining life experiences such as birth and childhood, education, dreams, goals, marital status, description, personality quirks, spiritual depth, joys and disappointments. As new ideas occur during the writing process, the author adds to all this so that by the time the book is completed each character jumps off the page into “reality”. For a fiction writer this is a normal and necessary process; if the characters cannot live in your mind, how on earth will you ever make them come to life for your readers?
Yet, it made me think about how often we create a persona for the public to know while reserving a vastly different one for our family and friends. And I’m not talking about simply writers. All of us are guilty of this to some extent because we yearn to “put on our best face” and not allow others to see the ragged edges underneath. Nothing wrong with that in most cases, as long as we are not lying to ourselves. God sees the truth and knows our hearts better than we could possibly know them even, and we cannot hide anything from Him. Psalm 139:1-12 is an amazing passage to remind us just how present He is no matter where in the universe we may go. We cannot get away from Him, no matter how hard we try!
Read those words and examine your own heart this coming week in light of how impossible it is to run away from our heavenly Father. Ask Him to show you how you are doing the same thing when you create a whole new “you” for others to see without confronting and allowing Him to heal the rottenness beneath. Have you ever seen a log or large piece of wood that looks whole and perfect, only to discover it has been eaten away inside by termites? Ouch! I desire for my "insides" to match my "outsides"! Or maybe I should say it the other way around--for my outside appearance to match up with the real me inside. Only through the Holy Spirit can that miracle take place, however. I cannot do it in my own strength.
No matter how many words I write or how many fictitious characters I create in my imagination, eventually I am forced to confront my own spiritual needs and weaknesses. But not to worry—God has them all under His control as long as I continue to submit to His leadership. Oh, I’ll sin along the way all right, wish I could pretend otherwise. But when I do He will quickly remind me and just as swiftly cleanse me when I come to Him in repentance. Sound “preachy”? As I said, read this passage carefully. I believe you will find yourself there, as I have. But I also see God right there with me, and what a comfort that is!
I pray for this shower of blessing to fall on your heart in the coming days!
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