God’s Presence and Working: Faith-filled Fanfic, Pt. 7
As a Christian, I often get to see God working. He intervenes in my life and the lives of countless others. How He does that varies. Sometimes, He uses circumstances, other people, or even my own mistakes to help me grow and understand Him better, to steer me away from harmful things, or point me toward an opportunity He has for me.
The same can be true in fanfiction. After all, God’s reach is infinite. Is it such a stretch to think He could work within the pages of a story? Perhaps He’s working on behalf of the writer, but it isn’t out of the question to propose that He’s also working on behalf of the people whose story is being written.
Regardless of what you believe about the previous statements, God’s presence and working in this world is undeniable, so writing about it in fiction (yes, even in fanfiction) is a logical step.
But how do we write about God’s presence and working without winding up sounding cheesy or trite?
Fanfiction is just another form of fiction writing, so the same guidelines that apply to original fiction can apply to fanfiction in many cases. Portraying sincere (and non-cringe worthy) Christianity is one of those spheres where the guidelines overlap. So, here are a few ways we can write about God’s presence and work in a way that makes readers think instead of roll their eyes.
Treat God as a person.
He is one (well, three) after all. God is not an impersonal force or a wish-fulfillment service. He has emotions, desires, expectations. He gives gifts, chastens His children, and helps them grow to be more like Him.
To treat God as though He doesn’t care about His Creation, or humanity specifically, is at best a callous way of portraying Him and is wholly unbiblical.
When a fictional person within a story interacts with God, they may or may not view Him as a person. Their worldview is going to effect how they treat God. But as the writer, we can choose to treat God differently than an individual character does. We can show His quiet working on behalf of the people within the story. We can show His care and compassion through events, people, circumstances, even supernatural intervention (on occasion).
We can spend just a moment reminding a character that, had they arrived at an intersection seconds earlier, they might have been right in the middle of a multi-car pileup. We can focus a character’s attention on a joyful event and give them reason to thank God for it. We can walk with a character through the death of a friend or other loved one and remind them that this is not the final chapter in their relationship. Heaven awaits, and there will be no more death or sorrow there.
Let Faith be integral.
Nothing irks me more in fiction than a person who only prays when they’re in trouble and otherwise never acknowledges God. True Christianity is not just present in foxholes and hospital rooms. True Christianity is also there when looking for a parking space at the grocery store, or walking down the supermarket aisle. True Christianity brings God into every breath. Not by talking about Him specifically all the time. But by acting and thinking Biblically. And yes, that includes praying. But if a person actively seeks to live Biblically on a consistent basis, prayer will be a natural consequence of that, not some out-of-place ritual to be sneered at.
Let your Christian characters be thoughtful. Let them wrestle with questions of Faith. Let them make mistakes and recover from them. Let them pray in vulnerable moments and joyful ones. Let them be people who have a relationship with El Shaddai, God Almighty. And let them remember that more often than on the way to the hospital.
Hint at (or outright show) the fuller picture.
In fiction, the reader is often given a very narrow perspective. And that’s good. It keeps the story focused and moving in a profitable direction. But none of that means we can’t hint at there being something beyond what the point-of-view character we’re writing can see or sense. In fact, there are numerous examples of characters who have an acute awareness that there are things going on that are far bigger than them.
Don’t shy away from showing characters experiencing those thoughts and feelings. Whether they believe in God or not, they can have a sense that God is working. They may not know what it is or what to call it, but they very well might know something is happening.
Show readers a character who has that inexplicable knowing that something (good or bad) is about to happen. Show readers a character who does the right thing even when it means personal sacrifice. Show readers a character who refuses to set aside what they believe, even when the circumstances are difficult.
As you write about God’s presence and working, let it be a time when you grow your relationship with God and learn even more about Him. Let Him use your writing time to show you just how great and wonderful He is. Maybe you’ll get to see an illustration of Truth that changes you in ways you never anticipated.
Check out the index post for the Faith-filled Fanfic? series.