One of the reasons Christian authors can run out of things to write about is they write only from personal experience. Personal experiences are finite, and you are bound to run out of material.
Your personal experiences give you one thing that can be used to write a hundred books: a perspective on God and living the Christian life, not only the actual things to write about. So, Christian writers should never run out of ideas for books or social-media posts. Proverbs 20:12 (ESV) says, “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.”
Since Christ-followers have God-made eyes and ears, they see the glory of God in every direction. Others look around and see something different, likely just bad news and despair; but Christian writers see and hear with redeemed eyes and ears.
It is not a coincidence that the following themes are common on viral social media:
- A foster parent asks a child or teen if they can adopt them. Tears and hugs follow. This is a small glimpse into the process of God adopting each one of us as we are happily accepted into a new family. There is joy overflowing from both the child and parent.
- A deployed soldier makes an unannounced return to a surprised parent, spouse, or child. Again, a glimpse of heaven, with angels and heavenly hosts rejoicing at a homecoming.
- A small child is fitted with a cochlear implant, their mother speaks their name, and a sweet “I love you” is heard for the first time, to their mutual delight. The look on both faces is like that when God might call you by name and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
- A color-blind person puts on special eyeglasses that allow them to see all colors for the first time. I envision the look on their face as a momentary glimpse of what will be on our faces when we see heaven, however simplistic of an example this might be.
- Long-separated friends or siblings who never met one another are a shadow of heavenly reunions.
To a Christian, everything in the world points to an aspect of God’s work. God is in everything.
- All of creation shows the power of God, and no human has an excuse not to see it and acknowledge the Creator. Those who don’t are intentionally ignoring it.
- Experiencing great art, writing, and music stirs the heart and mind and reflects God’s glory. That soaring feeling you get is only a speck of what awaits a believer.
- Seeing God in other people is easy since they were made in his image.
- Worship is when God’s people acknowledge his sovereignty over all and for a time the pre-Fall order of things is experienced.
Maybe all these things are only shadows of heaven; but to a Christ-follower, these shadowy stories are everywhere, if you just look and listen for them.
This world needs some heaven sightings, even if for a brief moment.
