Consider Our Poetic and Storytelling God
Every time we look at our screens, there’s content waiting for us. With so much vying for our attention (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and the like) — and our lives filled to the brim with work, church, parenting, and friendships — we all want content that’s short, simple, and to the point. We want to be told what to do and what to think, especially after tiring days. We don’t want to sift through the endless feed of information — we want answers, straightforward, and now.
With a cranky newborn in my arm, a laptop open on my desk, and a pile of laundry demanding my attention, I believed I didn’t have time for poetry and novels anymore. If I had time to read, I thought, it should probably be richly theological or educational — without the additional work of stopping to ponder the themes of a novel or dissect the imagery of a poem, no matter how pleasurable the read. I thought I was valuing efficiency, and I believed God valued it too. But what I told myself then was not necessarily true. I was valuing my time and my productivity instead — and missing out on the wonder of stories and the beauty of the Lord that I so often found in them.
Yes, biblical literacy is important. It’s valuable for Christians to spend time in theology books, commentaries, and Bible studies. However, we shouldn’t pit them against the beautiful and true writing found in novels and poems. Christians who immerse themselves in creative writing are good stewards of their time — not wasteful — because writing, reading, and ruminating on words can glorify our Maker.
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