Ridiculous

God: Hosea.

Hosea: Yes, Lord?

God: You know that prostitute Gomer?

Hosea: Yes.  I mean, no.  I mean, I've heard of her, but I don't know her, know her.  She's not really my type.  I mean, she's beautiful and all, um, not that I've really been looking at her or anything.  But she's not exactly what I'd call "prophet's wife material."  I mean, she's a...wait.  Why exactly are you asking me about a prostitute?

God: Oh, I want you to marry her.

Hosea: Say what?

God: Marry her, Hosea. 

Hosea: You...want me to marry Gomer?  You want me to marry a prostitute.

God: Yes. 

Hosea: Um, all right, but I don't understand.  Sounds kind of ridiculous.

God: Just trust me, kid.

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God: Jonah.

Jonah: Yes, Lord?

God: You know Nineveh?

Jonah: Oh, boy, do I ever.  Those people are wicked.  And not in the Ron Weasley way.

God: Don't be cute.  Harry Potter hasn't been invented yet, but if it were, you'd be one of the ones who thinks it's evil without ever having read it.  Oh, and I want you to go preach to Nineveh.

Jonah: Oh, yes, Lord!  I've been warming up my FIRE AND BRIMSTONE VOICE!  MUWAHAHAHA!  Do you like?

God: I've heard better.  Actually, I want you to call Nineveh to repentance. 

Jonah: Say what?

God: Tell them I'm willing to forgive them if they repent.

Jonah: Are we talking about the same Nineveh, because that's ridiculous.  Ridonkulous even.

God: Just trust me, kid.

Jonah: How 'bout I go the other way and hop a ship for Tarshish instead and get eaten by a ginormous fish, because that sounds like loads of fun.  After I throw myself a pity party and pray, you can have that fish spit me out right on Nineveh's doorstep.  Yeah, that would be great.  Then I'll preach to Nineveh,throw a fit over a worm and a vine, and never have my own personal story resolved.

God: I love you, kid, but you have issues. 

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God: Son?

Jesus: Yes, Father?

God: You know what I'm going to say.

Jesus: Yes, I do.  This whole Trinity thing is pretty awesome.

God: It is, isn't it.  Anyway, You know what has to be done.

Jesus: Yes.  I do.  I know You will not take this cup from me.

God: And You understand why.

Jesus: I've always understood why.  Love.  We love these rebellious, sinful, stiff-necked people.

God: Oh, yes, we love them so, my Son.

Jesus: I trust you, but it doesn't make sense, does it, Father?  It doesn't make sense for the Holy God to love the people in this fallen world so much that we would die for them.  Yet I know that we do.  I know that we will do whatever it takes to redeem them.

God: Love is ridiculous, Son. 

Jesus:  I know, Father.  I know.

God: Trust me.

Jesus: I do, Father.  And I will obey.

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God: Ruth.

Me: Yes, Lord.

God: Why are you crying?

Me: The past is coming to haunt me again.  I'm reminded of the years of trusting and waiting.  I'm reminded of those well-meaning friends who deeply hurt me when they called me ridiculous.  I can't stop listening to these reminders.

God: Well, remind yourself of what is true.

Me: True or False: I'm worthless.  True.

God: Yes, but always remember that my worth confounds your worthlessness.  I love you, I want you, I have a purpose for you, and that's far better than vainly trying to attain worth in your own effort.

Me: True or False: I take myself too seriously. Also true.

God: You care too much about what others think of you, and they don't truly have any power over you.  I'm the One who is defending you.  Trust me.

Me: True or False: I'm ridiculous.  It's true, isn't it?

God: Yes, my dear child, you are absolutely crazy ridiculous.  It doesn't make any worldly sense for you to keep waiting and trusting, doing what I've given you to do, when you have seen no results and been hurt in the effort.  But if you were striving in your own power instead of Mine, you wouldn't have the strength to keep going.  Take courage in that.  And remember, I love you ridiculously.  If anyone hates you, remember that they hated me first.

Me: True or False: Satan is behind this attack on me right now.  I think that's false.

God: You're right.  He's just in the forefront.  He planned this attack on you and carried it out, but he didn't suspect that I've been behind it all along, working to bring good out of what he intended for evil.  He really should suspect it, too.  I've been bringing good out of what he intended for evil ever since he got Eve to eat the fruit.  I'm in control.  That's why you can trust me, even if what you're doing seems ridiculous.

Me: Thank you, Father.

God: Rest now.  Wait.  And just trust me, kid.

Fiction Friday: "Redeeming" Christian Fiction

I'm still not sure whether or not I'd like to be a Christian author.  I'd like to be an author (despite what my mom says, I'm not an author until I'm published).  I am a Christian.  Since God seems to sneak up on me into several of my blog posts here, I guess I already qualify as a Christian writer.  I just don't know if I want to have any of my books published with that kind of stigma label. 

One of my reasons for this is because I don't just want Christians reading my books.  Honestly, I just don't see some average nonChristian Joe...or Joe-ette...walking into a book store or library and picking up something from the "Inspirational" section. 

The other reason is because I really don't know whether or not I'd like to be classified as a Christian author is because there's a LOT of Christian fiction out there that...well...sucks.  I've had this conversation with several of my friends, and most of them agree with me.  Christian fiction doesn't have a good reputation.

But I've decided I need to actually read a little bit of Christian fiction before saying it all stinks.  I'd been meaning to read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers for many years, and I finally did read it a few weeks ago.

I was actually a little stunned (in a good way) at the honesty of this book.  The book plays on the story of Hosea from the Bible, which is really the only reason I was interested in reading it.  I don't like romance for the sake of romance, but this book wasn't mainly a romance--at least not one between two people.  This story was a very honest story about God drawing His children back to Himself.

The main female character, Angel, is a prostitute.  While there was nothing at all graphic or crude, Rivers didn't make light of her horrible past/present situations.  There were times when it was uncomfortable for me to read, but I actually appreciated those times because they made the book/characters more real.

The human love story (as well as the Divine) begins with a man named Michael Hosea.  He was also a very real character.  Rivers didn't make him just some lovey-dovey man who easily forgave Angel.  He did forgive her, but he dealt with the pain and anger realistically, all the while loving this woman who felt entirely unlovable.

There are other characters and situations that were difficult to read, but they were so honest that I couldn't help but love this book.  There were some stylistic problems I had--such as Rivers jumping the point of view from character to character without any notice.  Sometimes I had to figure out whose brain I was reading.   I also was underwhelmed by a very matter-of-fact and unnecessary epilogue. 

But I think Rivers has shown that there can be such a thing as good Christian fiction, and perhaps even good Christian romance.  This wasn't just another book about the hero or heroine loving someone to Christ.  This was a honestly written story about a woman who desperately needed the love and redemption of God.  It was about what God can do with a changed life.  It was a very hopeful book.

I was actually a little surprised to read parts of this book, though.  The last entire book I managed to write was a Christian sci-fi romance thing.  The main character has this Hosea theme going throughout her struggles and successes.  Without ever having read Redeeming Love, it sounds as though I drew inspiration from it.  I didn't, but it doesn't matter.  I realized through reading Redeeming Love that my story lacks a lot of honesty and needs even more editing than I originally believed. 

I guess that's why Francine Rivers is a full-fledged published Christian author, and I'm just a wanna-be.  Uh...whatever it is I wanna be...?