As a writer, how do you see the world? For every writer, the answer will differ, because each individual sees the world from their own unique perspective. What makes us writers is our desire to capture in words what we see, experience, think and imagine, through the lens of who we are. As writers who follow Christ, there is an underlying purpose to much of what we write. We want to communicate some aspect of Jesus Christ and His message to our readers. Whatever genre, style or audience we choose, the lens of our faith in Christ colours every word.
The apostle Paul wrote, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope to which God has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18).
Paul’s prayer for believers is that their inner perception be enlightened, through “the eyes of their heart”; the whole inner person, encompassing the mind, will, and emotions. French author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, wrote, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Engaging the eyes of our heart when we write opens up depths of meaning, symbolism and metaphor beyond mere description, in order to reveal the essential.
To give an example, in my short story entitled “Heartwood”, I describe a scene after a storm.
“Jack tried to stay out of the way until his father passed out but could not escape all the viscous kicks and punches. By the second night of the storm, his left eye was almost sealed shut in a swollen purple bruise and every painful breath let him know he had some cracked ribs. At the first gray seep of dawn he stuffed his coat pockets with withered apples, grabbed his small hatchet and whittling knife and quietly crept from the cabin while his father slept on. The island wept in the aftermath of the storm, dripping tears from broken branches and uprooted trees, storm-swelled waves sobbing on its stony shores. Jack felt the island’s devastation with each aching breath, as if he and it were one.”
By describing the aftermath of the storm in terms of grief, I engaged my inner eye to convey the parallel heartbreak Jack felt from abuse at the hands of his father. This illustrates a seeing that goes beyond looking with physical eyes. In order to be an effective writer I must learn to pay attention with the eyes of my heart, to be present in, and open to, the seen and unseen. I aim to write in such a way that the reader has that moment of resonance, of clarity, where they recognize their own feelings and experiences in my words.
Seeing the things of the world as visible signs of inward, invisible grace takes practice. It requires a new way of seeing beyond the surface, to the hidden way of seeing with the eyes of the heart. To clarify, not all things in this cluttered, often bleak world can give our hearts insight. Yet there is much that can. If God has called you to write, then write from that place of intuition, of revelation from His Spirit, of gut reaction to the gifts of insight He gives you.
Writing what you experience through the eyes of your heart requires faith in your unique gift to express what is seen beyond the surface. It also requires surrendering preconceptions of the acceptable way to say what you see. Begin by just letting it flow onto the page, then go back and mine the treasures.
A while ago when I wanted to become more intentional in my writing life, I began to look for “shining moments” in each day to record -- those moments when my heart rose in response to some glimpse of glory. Moments as simple as tree shadows dancing on my living room wall, or geese marking a V across the autumn sky. Always these moments were followed by praise to God, a natural outflow of thanksgiving for all He created. I looked at these moments with my heart, then wrote down my impressions. As well as looking for outward shining moments, I began to recognize the inward ones, when God’s Spirit stirred some thought or truth within me, causing the eyes of my heart to widen in joy.
My heart does not always have 20/20 vision of what God longs for me to see, yet He continues to enlarge the vista of all He has in store for this child who loves Him. I long to be a faithful recorder of what He reveals to the eyes of my heart.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” (1 Cor. 2:9-10 NLT)
More of Valerie's work can be read on her blog:
https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com/
