I didn’t know THAT!
We read to know we are not alone. C.S. Lewis
Reading is about connection. Therefore writing is about creating that connection. Whatever world we enter, whatever the setting or the character, the connection comes on the inside when I find my own feelings and story on the pages of a book.
Can I write from the perspective of a man? A person of different ethnicity? A cat?
The details of our lives will be different but the emotions that we experience are universal. I learned once that there are only two emotions: Love and Fear. All others flow from these two. We are all more alike than we think. Reading allows us to enter the world of another and often to find ourselves there in the story.
God uses story to allow us to connect with Him. I’ve seen my story in the story of Peter who walked on water only to get distracted and fall. I’ve been in a far away land and decided to come back to the Father like the son in the parable. I’ve been too busy like Martha. I can relate to many people in the pages of the Bible and when I read carefully I can find my own story there.
The best books allow us to connect and grow in our understanding of ourselves.
Have you ever found your own feelings and story on the pages of a book?
Laurie and Betsy
“Who hasn’t had encounters with dogs, or who hasn’t experienced the strangeness of the human world. When we hear stories of others it reminds us of our own story.”
The Cat Diaries: Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, Laurie Myers
Photo credit: Laurie featuring Samson
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All of our stories somehow connect into HIStory or HIStory into our stories – an eternal good “read”
Well said!
“God uses story to allow us to connect with Him.” I love that! No wonder we can’t stay away from stories.
Love this post. Thanks.
Thanks Shelley. Have a good weekend.
Betsy and Laurie, I love this photo of the dog getting the “inside scoop” on cats from this book! That is how I feel when I read J.R.R. Tokien and/or C.S. Lewis. I often get “scoops” and “notions” here at your blog, as well! Our local minister here is always reminding us to share our “stories”. He reminds us all the time that God’s Holy Bible is the best collection of teaching stories ever collected!
Thanks, This is Laurie’s dog Samson who is always very interested in cats! I agree with you, we all want the scoops don’t we. Tolkien and Lewis are great ones to provide those aha moments. I love your stories and hope you will keep sharing.
Another great read, here, Sisters! I love the C S Lewis quote and the picture. Also, I’ve been reading in I Sam lately, and I was struck by the “character study” of Saul–he started out so enamored of David, then apparently grew jealous and threatened by him (due to his own insecurities) and wanted him killed. Not that death would have been part of the equation, but I have been on both sides of that illustration. Have a much-blessed weekend.
Isn’t the Bible fascinating! We can see ourselves on one side of a story at a point in time and on the other side later. The living Word. Always glad to hear your thoughts! Have a good weekend.
It’s facinating to me how God chose each person in the Bible knowing we would need their story to understand our story more clearly.
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