Let your
religion be less of a theory
and
more of a love affair.
—G. K. Chesterton
Let your
writing be less of a theory
and
more of a love affair.
—Julie Lessman
Love Affair.
Two magical words that pulsed in my
heart over and over again during our Christmas Eve service. It was a
candlelight service, and moisture blurred my eyes as I stood next to the love
of my life, singing one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time—O Holy Night. Even now as I write this, tears trail my cheeks and
my heart “falls to its knees” at the wonder of Christ in our lives, the
inconceivable joy of a love affair with the God of the Universe!
A thrill
of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees, oh hear, hear the angel voices
Oh night divine, oh night when
Christ was born
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees, oh hear, hear the angel voices
Oh night divine, oh night when
Christ was born
Standing there worshipping the TRUE
“Love of my Life,” I knew that more than anything in the world, I wanted my
love affair with God in the coming year to be deeper, more passionate, and more
profound than ever before. To make this year, as Tina Radcliffe so beautifully proclaimed the Seeker theme of the year to be, my "YEAR OF NO LIMITS." Both in my life … and
in my books.
With every beat of my pulse, the words Love Affair, Love Affair whisper in my ear, telling me that not only is it entirely possible, but that it's exactly what God longs for as well—a love affair with me—and with you! And not just as human beings, but as Christian writers, whose love affair for God can and should be embedded into every book we write, be it subtle … or pedal to the metal, like me.
With every beat of my pulse, the words Love Affair, Love Affair whisper in my ear, telling me that not only is it entirely possible, but that it's exactly what God longs for as well—a love affair with me—and with you! And not just as human beings, but as Christian writers, whose love affair for God can and should be embedded into every book we write, be it subtle … or pedal to the metal, like me.
I have to tell you, my love affair
with my husband has surpassed anything I ever dreamed possible. Never did I
believe I would ever love a human being to the depths and heights to which I
love the man I married.
I don’t know if I ever mentioned it to you, but I
wasn’t all that sure that I “loved” him when I walked down that aisle, God’s
truth. Oh, I knew I was happier with him than without him, but love? That
deep-down, soul-wrenching, quivering kind of love we love to write about? Uh,
probably not because you see, I didn’t really know how to love back then when
we married 36 years ago. Nope, that was something I had to learn at the foot of
God’s throne. And oh my, does our God know how to teach a lesson on love! Lessons
which, as Christian authors, we are compelled to share with the world. And
lessons that have helped my passion for writing—like my marriage—“surpass anything I ever dreamed possible.”
As many of you already know, I was
raised in a very dysfunctional family where I was ridiculed and picked on a
lot, so consequently, I had a pretty hard heart. Never even shed a tear when my
mom died when I was sixteen, and as a young woman in her early twenties (before
Christ), there were actually Thanksgivings and Christmases I spent alone
despite coming from a family of thirteen kids. We’re talking rock-hard emotions
here, steeled by bitterness and hate and anger. Until, that is, God got a hold
of me at the age of 23 and turned this heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
And a weepy one at that, to which many of you who’ve read my interviews or books
can certainly attest.
“When did you realize you loved
Dad,” my daughter asked me recently. Keith and I looked at each other and I
scrunched my nose. “I don’t know … I guess about five or six years ago?” “That
sounds about right,” Keith said, his tone as matter-of-fact as mine. My
daughter started laughing because she understands that we have a very romantic marriage. “You’re joking,” she said, and Keith and I shook our
heads and said, “No, we aren’t.”
You see I’m pretty sure Keith and I
have loved each other all of our marriage, but it was a lifetime
of application of God’s precepts in our relationship and lives that caused our
marriage—and our love—to grow into what it is today. A truly magical love
affair, the kind I write about in my books. So the good news is that, yes, it
is possible to have a marriage like that in today’s world. The better news?
It’s exactly what God wants for each of us—a love affair. First with Him … and then with those in the world around us—our families, our
friends, our mates. And in our writing …
So why did my love for Keith
suddenly bloom and grow so much six years ago? Interesting question, but I do
believe it coincides with my books. The year I wrote A Passion Most Pure, my love for Keith was invigorated through my
writing. As I poured all my passion for God and romance into each and every
book, I also found myself pouring passion into my marriage. You know, focusing
on my husband more, learning to see him once again through the eyes of young
love and learning to appreciate him for just who he was. As Christian writers,
this is a gift no secular writers can claim, to interject into our lives—and in the lives of our characters—our love affair with God and the
profound impact it has.
For instance, there have been times
when we would go out to dinner that I’d pretend we were dating, and I’d sparkle
and shine just like it was a first date, hanging on to his every word, being
affectionate more than usual, laughing at his jokes. Whenever I would do that
we would have SUCH a great time that I started to realize that I was energizing
my marriage by pouring passion (a strong enthusiasm or interest according to
Merriam-Webster) into it.
Even when I would write my books,
I’d keep a picture of Keith and me when we were engaged right by my computer to
remind me just what a hunk I married, to help me see him once again through
those eyes of initial attraction. And most importantly of all, I would do what
I spent a lifetime doing—I’d pray for God to give me more and more passion and
attraction and love for this man that He knit me with. And God is nothing if
not faithful. The more I poured into my love affair with my husband—passion,
prayer, giving, respect, love—the more exciting and fulfilling our relationship
became, which brings me back to my heart and soul desire for this year: my love
affair with God.
So what does a love affair with God
look like? Well, I tried to show what it looks like for me in a scene from A Heart Revealed where Emma explains to her young neighbor Casey that
God wants a love affair with each of us:
Casey’s eyelids lowered as she shifted in her seat. “But we can’t see or feel God, Emma, so how can you feel His love? I need more than prayers to a God I can’t touch, see, or hear—I want to hear words of love, see kind actions, feel hugs and kisses . . .”
Emma’s smile was soft. “We all do, Casey, because yes, we’re
human beings. But we were made in God’s image.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she leaned back in her chair, her eyes tender. “Which
means, like Father, like daughter. You want to be loved? So does He. You want
to be touched? So does He. You want to feel the rush of a kiss or the warmth of
a hug?” Tears pricked Emma’s eyes. “So does He. Which is why I rushed to Him
when Rory hurt me and my family betrayed me. And you know what? I found a God
whose arms were open wide and Whose heart leapt with joy when I called His
name. As protective as a mother and as jealous as a lover, this was a God who
wanted me for His very own. Me—Emma
Malloy! To touch, to bless, to fill with His pleasure.” She swallowed hard, her
gaze locked on Casey’s. “Until I overflow, spilling His love on those around me—treasured
possessions of a passionate God.”
A passionate God, indeed. One who
longs for our touch, our attention, our smiles, our words of love. To be needed
by us, believed in by us, and worshiped by us. And for we Christian writers—written about by us. A Lover Who
offers everything our hearts could ever desire in a love affair—someone who is
drawn to us, thinks we are beautiful, gives of Himself to us, protects and encourages us, makes us smile, laugh and cry with joy. Someone we
are worth everything to—even His life. We have all that and more in the God of
the Universe and yet at times, we remain lackluster in our devotion to Him, and
sometimes—in our
writing for Him. And so my desire for
this year, both as a person and a writer, is to fall madly, passionately and
completely in love with my God and to bring Him joy and pleasure and worship
every day. In my life. And in my books.
Love affair, pure and simple.
For me, that means pouring my
passion into worship and prayer and thanksgiving more than ever before.
Sparkling and shining when I spend time with Him. Writing Him love notes in a
journal or stopping often throughout the day to give Him a “hug” with a heart
of gratitude for all He has done in my life. To tell Him I love Him before I
open my eyes in the morning and before I close them again in the evening, and
peppered throughout every single hour of every single day. To give Him my all …
because that’s what He’s given to me. And to you.
No question about it—we are blessed.
There are millions of people in the world, but WE are the special ones who have
a love affair to end all love affairs. Oh, Lord, please, may we live like it—and write like it—every day in the year ahead.
Hugs and Happy New Year!
Julie
GIVEAWAY:
Hey, leave a comment to be entered for winner's choice of any of my books!
ABOUT JULIE:
Award-winning author of “The Daughters of Boston” and
“Winds of Change” series, Julie Lessman was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009
Debut Author of the Year and voted #1 Romance Author of the year in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011
Readers Choice Awards. She has also garnered 17 RWA and other awards and made Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational
Fiction. Her book A Light in the Window
is an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner,
and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. Contact Julie and read excerpts from
her books at www.julielessman.com, or
through Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or Pinterest or by
signing up for her newsletter.
