The Mystery of Story
I’ve recently experienced the mystery of story. How sometimes one can have an idea of what they want to write about, but the details are still veiled over and unknown.
This mystery is made even greater when one aspires to follow Jesus at every turn. To seek His desires for their story, and not just their own. For to seek what Jesus wants is to uncover something, not just make something up. It is simple enough to grab a story outline and plot out some events and characters. But when one longs to create with Jesus, the journey looks different.
For to seek what Jesus wants is to uncover something, not just make something up.
It looks like having patience when the path isn’t clear, when the story isn’t unfolding easily before me. It is trusting that His way is better than my way.
It’s following His ever so quiet voice that often goes against all that my earthly brain was planning. My plans often follow the world, the drama, the complicated path of sin. His way always shoots true through the middle of it all, gives it all meaning and purpose and truth.
Walking in the mystery of creating story can be befuddling and frustrating. But if we keep walking in faith, He will show us what He had in mind all along. I look forward to that day.
Now, by “the mystery of creating story” I mean the mystery of having an idea for a book, and then trying to figure out what God wants it to look like. It’s that stage where you have some rough ideas, a distant shadow of something, but it’s not even enough to get excited about yet. The characters don’t have names, the world is without form, the story is still a mystery.
It reminds me oddly of the beginning. The beginning of our world, where darkness lay upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. How there was formlessness and a great void of nothing. Then He changed everything. He created light and darkness, day and night, ground and sea. He created something out of the mystery of darkness, the mystery of nothingness.
What if one invited God to do the same with their book? What if He’s inviting you?
If God created our entire spectacular complex planet, He can create a story with you. He can create not just words in a book, not just any story, but a good story. A story that reflects glints of the best story. The story of His great love for us, His great sacrifice for the sake of closeness.
He can create not just words in a book, not just any story, but a good story. A story that reflects glints of the best story.
A story can grasp someone’s interest. But a good story could grasp someone’s heart – redirect someone’s heart.
So how to sit in the mystery and follow His lead?
It does seem kind of ridiculous. To write a book with God. How on earth does such a thing even work? With constant communion with Him about the details of what I’m planning, the feeling I want the book to hold, the characters I want people to really see and relate to. He cares about the details. He wants to partner with people in their creating.
A story can grasp someone’s interest. But a good story could grasp someone’s heart – redirect someone’s heart.
The way I have sat in the mystery recently with this new book idea of mine has needed greater trust than I remember using before. I have about two things I know about this book, and I know I’m excited about it. But the details are completely out of view for the time being.
Yesterday I wanted to try get somewhere, move forwards with the planning and fleshing out my idea. God didn’t answer my questions about world, outline, plot points. Instead He had be redo my Spotify playlist for this story.
I had created a playlist some months ago for the book idea when I first had it. It was a bunch of moody songs about breakups and love to the world’s standards. Great for dramatizing my brainstorming process. But I was feeling more and more of an ick as I listened to it. Something in my spirit was put off by those songs. I needed something deeper to contemplate this story to. I needed something true, something that points back to Jesus every time.
The process of flicking through songs began. I found myself spoken to through folky Christian music that had real soul to it. I added song after song to the playlist, feeling more and more right about it. After an hour or so of adding songs I went to the playlist and looked at the list of secular songs, followed by my recent list of Christian ones. It felt so refreshing to edit the playlist and delete every song that didn’t sing Jesus to my soul.
A purifying. A cleaning out so the real work of planning this book could start from a good foundation.
The mystery of an unfolding story has been slower than others this time around. But that makes me think Jesus is doing something special here, both in me, and in this story. Having the patience to sit with the mystery changes the entire creating process. It changes who I am too.
As I look forwards, I see a future of Jesus creating. Creating with Him, and for Him. A way of creating that is so completely fulfilling, the mystery doesn’t feel like a cloudy day, but an exciting unveiling experience.
Try sitting in the mystery today, whatever that looks like. The mystery is not your enemy, but your friend. The Holy Spirit will reveal everything in the right time. And remember, good things take longer sometimes.
Having the patience to sit with the mystery changes the entire creating process. It changes who I am too.
If you would like to learn more about writing, following big dreams, and living life with Jesus, feel free to browse more blog posts here , or contact me if you have any questions. You can also find me on YouTube at The Windy Wildflower, or the podcast at The Windy Wildflower Podcast. We talk about writing, songwriting, and being a Christian creative in all these places. I also have a free writing resource you can grab on this website here! Join me on the journey of learning to glorify God with our creativity and making dreams a reality.