I’ve committed myself to finishing a first draft of a manuscript by the end of the month. I’m 3/4’s of the way finished, and I have an idea of how the ending will work, but the specifics are a bit hazy.
This book is part of a series I’m writing where I take basic inspiration from a Biblical account and apply it to a modern day scenario. For example, the first book revolved around the question: What would it look like for an unmarried church-going couple to face a pregnancy their own actions didn’t cause? The story grew from there.
Today, I came across a post on Facebook that referenced a verse from the Biblical account that inspired my new story. (Sorry to be vague. I’m not naming the specific account that inspired this manuscript because I’m entering it in a contest that’s supposed to be anonymous.) The post reminded me that if I want inspiration for how exactly to finish this story, I needed to go back to the source. I needed to reread at least part of the Biblical account.
Life is like this, too.
If we’re professing Christians, living lives that are meant to mirror Jesus’s life, we have to keep coming back to him. If we don’t spend time in the Word and in prayer, how will we ever know how our next chapter should look? He’s the source of light and life. We can’t hope to have either without him. 
Maybe we could muddle through to a point, but have you ever read a book where the story seemed to lose its way? Events happen, but they don’t impact the story and they certainly don’t increase its power. Readers lose interest. Some flip through and read the end. Some just quit. It’s called a sagging middle and the cures involve things like stronger character motivations for both the protagonist and the antagonist and ruthless critique partners.
In the Christian walk, the cure for this kind of loss of purpose and direction is Jesus. Jesus before we lose our way, and Jesus when we need to get back on track. More and more Jesus.
What have you learned from him lately?
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