So, so happy … spring is coming!
That means bright sunshine and longer, warmer days.
The dark, cold months from January to March are my most unfavorite time of the year. Holiday festivities have ended and there’s not much going on. It’s still cold and it’s still getting dark way too early.
Having covid shut down our holidays made this year’s dark cold stretch even longer. I’m so thankful I don’t live way up north. If I had to endure cold nights that lasted 6 months, I’d never make it … just bury my lifeless body in the snow and mourn what might’ve been!
But thankfully, I live in the sunny south. I’ll take bright, hot, steamy summers over dark and cold any time … so, so happy … not much longer … it’s on its way!
Spring is the time when everything is revived and renewed. Nature is waking up in the warmer temps and soon my most favorite and important holiday will arrive … Easter.
Christmas seems to be everyone’s favorite … it’s more festive and having God arrive into the world as a sweet little baby is way more comfortable to think about than having a grown man stripped naked, beaten to a bloody pulp, nailed to wood and hung up in a humiliating public display.
But then there’s that glorious, surprise ending on Sunday morning …
The majority of the authors I work with are Christian writers. With Easter coming next month, and in anticipation of celebrating the Greatest Story that ever was, I’d like to dedicate this month’s blogs to the Christian writers out there who create great literature for our kids.
Life is all about stories. Life itself IS a story! From the overarching story of creation and God’s interaction with mankind throughout history, to the stories of countries and peoples, to the stories of our families, and right down to our very own individual stories.
When we talk to each other, we’re telling our stories: about what happened to us, where we went, what we did, who we met …
And lucky us, as children’s books creators, we get to write and draw these stories!
Maybe we’re retelling classic Bible stories. Or fiction stories with important life lessons. Perhaps our stories don’t even mention God at all. My favorite stories are the funny and ridiculous ones. Life is heavy enough, let’s have some fun!
It really doesn’t matter if we’re writing explicitly about spiritual things, because what’s inside of us will shine through our work.
When we dedicate ourselves and our work to God, He always uses it in unexpected ways to touch others.
That’s really important, because the best lessons are caught, not taught.
So this month I want to encourage and remind myself and my fellow Christian creatives all about the hope that’s inside us, and how to keep His light shining through the work we create.
Thank you and God bless you.