Creations
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him:
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
When writing fiction I have to create characters. They become quite real to me, which is sometimes hard for the people around me to understand. A few years ago while out to dinner with my husband I saw a young man who looked a lot like one of my characters. I told my husband, “He looks a lot like Nick.” My husband laughed and asked me how I knew what Nick looked like. If not me, who would? Nick exists because I created him. The other day I mentioned that the little girl in the book I’m working on now sounds like a little girl I know from school. My husband again commented. “Oh great, now you’re hearing their voices?” Admittedly that does sound a little odd but again, of course I hear them. I plan every minute of their lives. Still it is so great when someone reads my book and tells me something they’ve seen in a character that I didn’t really think about.
Talking about this with various people, I began to think about God’s creation, in other words, us, His people. God has a plan for us and He knows exactly what it is. He knows us better than we know ourselves. There are many days when I am not a fan of free will. Those are usually the days when I have managed to do something I know is a disappointment to my Father. Then I wish that he would script my every word and orchestrate my every move. That way I couldn’t screw up. Unfortunately I do have free will. While God knows me inside out, he does not put the words in my mouth. He doesn’t put my foot in there either. God knows me better than I know myself, better than any human being knows me. Nothing I do can surprise Him.
Which brings us back to Nick. Nick and all my other characters can surprise me. Just when I think I know where I/they are going with a story something changes. I know them better than anyone else does but not in the same way that God knows us. Outside factors in my own life can influence a story. Nothing outside of God influences His thoughts or His decisions.
He created us with a plan and a purpose which nothing can change or take away. In this life we live with lots of variables, question marks and insecurities but one thing is absolutely certain, God is for us. We are His own and no one can separate us from Him.
in the image of God he created him:
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
When writing fiction I have to create characters. They become quite real to me, which is sometimes hard for the people around me to understand. A few years ago while out to dinner with my husband I saw a young man who looked a lot like one of my characters. I told my husband, “He looks a lot like Nick.” My husband laughed and asked me how I knew what Nick looked like. If not me, who would? Nick exists because I created him. The other day I mentioned that the little girl in the book I’m working on now sounds like a little girl I know from school. My husband again commented. “Oh great, now you’re hearing their voices?” Admittedly that does sound a little odd but again, of course I hear them. I plan every minute of their lives. Still it is so great when someone reads my book and tells me something they’ve seen in a character that I didn’t really think about.
Talking about this with various people, I began to think about God’s creation, in other words, us, His people. God has a plan for us and He knows exactly what it is. He knows us better than we know ourselves. There are many days when I am not a fan of free will. Those are usually the days when I have managed to do something I know is a disappointment to my Father. Then I wish that he would script my every word and orchestrate my every move. That way I couldn’t screw up. Unfortunately I do have free will. While God knows me inside out, he does not put the words in my mouth. He doesn’t put my foot in there either. God knows me better than I know myself, better than any human being knows me. Nothing I do can surprise Him.
Which brings us back to Nick. Nick and all my other characters can surprise me. Just when I think I know where I/they are going with a story something changes. I know them better than anyone else does but not in the same way that God knows us. Outside factors in my own life can influence a story. Nothing outside of God influences His thoughts or His decisions.
He created us with a plan and a purpose which nothing can change or take away. In this life we live with lots of variables, question marks and insecurities but one thing is absolutely certain, God is for us. We are His own and no one can separate us from Him.
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