Romance, Garden Glimpses, Plus A Poem

 

Romance in Fiction

Most people like a bit of romance in the stories they read. After all, true love and wedded bliss are wonderful gifts from God. 

The Bible tells us that God is love.  He is also just. That does not change the fact that God is love though. Of course, God's kind of love is on an entirely different level from ours: His love is so amazing, so beautiful, and is embodied in Jesus' death for us.

So, most people would agree then, that love is good, and should feature in our stories and poems. It is especially important in my view, that we share God's love for the world when we write. I would say that that is essential.

But what of romantic love? Should Christians write romantic stories? And should we read them? I'd say that the answer depends largely on how the romance is written. For a Christian to write and/or read romance in good conscience, it needs to be clean. Another important criteria, is that the characters, must be realistic. Many male characters are fantasy men, made up in the author's daydreams. Such characters are dangerous for they can foster feelings of discontent, unhappiness, and even lust in the reader. The hapless reader might end up comparing her very ordinary and faulty husband with Mr Perfect in the story she's reading.

When I create a male character, I try to at least make him a little ordinary and realistic. I try to give him at least one area of struggle, for example, impulsiveness, or I will bring in the sins in his life and past. 

In short story writing, this may not always be possible. A short story is like a snapshot and it is hoped that the reader will assume that the character has other aspects that were not mentioned due to space constraints.

When writing longer stories, it is very important to create balanced characters, as the reader is going to spend more time with them. 

It is also very important that Christian writers not help lead their readers into temptation and/or sin. 

A good romance is not easy to get right. All of us want a happily ever after. Also, when we pick up a light read, we usually expect to be entertained and don't want a load of reality dumped on our heads. Care and balance are needed as the writer creates his or her characters. Prayer is even more important. Writers need to pray from the start to the finish of their stories: that God will be glorified through them, and that readers will be edified and encouraged.

What do you think? How should romance be treated in Christian stories?

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Garden Glimpses

Welcome :)

The girls' garden

S's budgies

Bulbinella and ivy geraniums. These geraniums were planted by my Mom.

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Leaving Self

She walks away

from herself

towards You:

Away from the

selfish siren call

of the world:

She knows it is not 

all about her

So she walks away

towards You,

having thrown off

the suffocating suit 

of self

To surrender all:

To give her life

to You

A.S.L

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Thanks for popping in :)

I hope you have a blessed day.

Love and prayers,

Alison

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