The Best is Yet to Come

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the future. And not like the "where do you want to be in ten years" future, but the "every knee will bow" Revelation-style future. You know, the kind with the no more tears, no more sadness and the presence of Jesus right there in person.

It's the ultimate satisfying ending.

And I long for it. Oh how I long for it.

And all these thoughts made me think about my writing. I wondered - do my stories make people long for a satisfying ending?

Because really, that's all we want.

I think about the story that all other stories are based on. About the beginning and the perfect world that existed. About how evil entered it. And the great rescue was set into motion. I think about how the characters ached and groaned and spent years longing for their true home. I think about the Rescuer who promises to save His beloved.

It's the perfect plot.

We want our books to grab the reader - right from the beginning. We want to set up the plot, the conflict, the love story, the unanswered prayer. We want our characters to be unsettled, to need fulfillment, to be on the search for something.

Sort of like us.

Do you need inspiration? Need ideas? Look no farther than the original one. And I would highly encourage you - whether or not you have children - to pick up a copy of Sally Lloyd Jones' The Jesus Storybook Bible. The way she writes will send inspiration flooding all the way to your shoes.

What are your characters longing for?