Recently countless people around the world mourned the
passing of Ravi Zacharias, Christian apologist and founder of RZIM. When I
heard this news, I thought how much poorer humanity was for this loss. I
was equally moved by the extraordinary legacy he left, fuelled by his heart to
respectfully and compassionately seek out the questioner behind each question:
helping the believer think and the thinker believe.
The
start of his legacy can be traced to a step of faith and obedience when, as a
seventeen-year-old, God met him on a bed of suicide. He vowed to leave
no stone unturned in his pursuit of truth. In hindsight we see an extraordinary life,
but as he began stepping out in the early years of his journey, I expect he faced
many obstacles. His obedience to the call of God on his life
may have been seen as risky, for the potential cost it could incur.
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| Photo Credit Elijah Hiett @elijahhiett- Unsplash |
The more I reflect on this, it seems risk is often a companion
of obedience, and obedience to God (with all its risks) a companion of legacy:
Dare we trust His version of our lives over our own?
As Christian writers, our lives encompass much more than our writing journeys, but in the writing context I believe the coupling of risk and obedience can be evident as we dare to write truth in a culture that is aggressively post-truth.
As Christian writers, our lives encompass much more than our writing journeys, but in the writing context I believe the coupling of risk and obedience can be evident as we dare to write truth in a culture that is aggressively post-truth.
Whatever genre, I suspect many of us can recall a
moment we’ve felt the risk of writing what the Holy Spirit’s laid upon our hearts.
It may not have been hot sweats and clammy palms (although it could have been
that too), but I’m sure you’re familiar with that tussle of “dare I?”.
It could be an open reference to faith in your general market novel. It could be cutting that risqué scene that would make your story “edgier”.
It could be including those uncomfortable, gritty elements that honestly portray
humanity at its lowest. It could be letting yourself be vulnerable enough to write
about your own brokenness. It could be putting down the pen for a few hours on
a tight schedule to remind a child they’re well loved. It could be writing into a new genre. It could be using the
word sin to depict the flaw that runs through every human heart, for which the
only cure is a Saviour who willingly gave all to rescue us from our sinful
condition and recklessly pursues us with His love.
Each of our writing journeys are different, as are the
wrestles we face. We can each write a legacy that touches a different part of
our inherently broken world. Fact is, being counter-cultural is very
risky, no matter how gracious you are (and gracious isn’t really my strongest
point—working on it!).
The question is, dare we be obedient to penning words that
make us tremble when they’re whispered into our heart from the ultimate Creator?
What if those words risk public humiliation? What if they risk being
misunderstood? What if they risk losing friends or being shunned by family? What
if they risk losing possessions?
What might we risk by our obedience to His
drawing?
Then again, what might the souls those words reach gain? Could they be words that point a searching heart towards truth?
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| Photo Credit - Ben White @benwhitephotography - Unsplash |
Fact is, we all blow it and are all largely risk
averse, but I am confident in the kindness and mercy of a God of second chances.
I also believe each step of obedience to Him can write a lasting legacy. It may
not seem much at the time. We may never know the impact of our written words. But who
knows what legacy we’ll leave when we’ve passed from this life to eternity, if
we but dare take a risk.
Adele
Jones is a Queensland based, award winning author. She writes young adult and
historical novels, poems, inspirational non-fiction and fiction short works,
along with juggling family responsibilities and a ‘real job’ in the field of
science. Her
first YA novel Integrate was awarded
the 2013 CALEB Prize for unpublished manuscript. Her writing explores issues of
social justice, humanity, faith, natural beauty and meaning in life’s journey,
and as a speaker she seeks present a practical and encouraging message by
drawing on these themes. For more visit www.adelejonesauthor.com or contact@adelejonesauthor.com
