RIDERS OF THE PAINTED STAR
– The Takeaway
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” KJV
As a Christian writer, I always anchor my stories with a scripture and a theme that reflects the God-thread of my books. Without that thread, that singular diamond-hard cord, my tale would be meaningless and not reflect the brand I feel the Lord had given me years ago—Spiritual Truth...With A Giggle.
Ephesians 4:32 is a compelling verse as it admonishes those who hold a grudge and promises God’s grace at the same time. In my story, the arrows of unforgiveness come from several hiding places. The most prominent from the heroine’s point of view. She’s excited to stay on an Arizona dude ranch and meet a real cowboy. The “real cowboy” she has sights on is actually an actor from New Jersey.
We always need conflict in our stories to move them along, encourage the reader to turn pages, tap their emotions. The tension in Riders of the Painted Star comes from the question: What will Zadie do when she finds out that Royce has been lying to her?
Forgiveness is a popular theme in Christian literature, and for good reason. It highlights the number one flaw of the human spirit. I recall the platitude when I first came to the Lord. “If you feel far from God, guess who moved.” Holding a grudge against someone places a wedge between us and the perfect love of the Father. When one of my characters can’t bring themselves to forgive, it creates tension and pulls them off the perfect pedestal I may have put them on. The inability to forgive makes them human and relatable. We, as readers, know what they’re going through, and we root for them (dare I say, pray for them?) to close the chasm they’ve created and make it all right by realigning themselves with God. Fortunately, my characters can do that in 25-30 thousand words.
I wish real life were that easy.
Tomorrow is Christmas Day. My prayer for each of you is that you find God's perfect peace in the Christ child who came to save us from our sins.
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