It’s been an emotional morning for me. Today my book went live and while I have been looking forward to releasing it, there’s always some small part of me that has doubt and trepidation about letting something go out into the world that has been such an integral part of me and my life for the past fourteen months.
Everything that I’ve written has always been intensely personal but I think most if not all writers (and artists) feel that way about their work, whether it’s painting or music, sculpting, any sort of creative endeavor requires your time, love and attention, at least any creative endeavor worth while. But this particular book has a much deeper meaning for me, and writing it has changed me. It was a most transformational undertaking and the fact that it was the Lord planting these seeds, directing me, giving me the inspiration, well, that made the meaning and attachment to this project much more profound than anything I’ve ever written in my life. And, believe me, I’ve written A LOT. I’ve been writing for 40 years and I’ve just created the best thing I’ve ever written, but more than that, it created healing in me.
And of course, there is always that small nibble of fear and panic at the thought of someone else reading your stuff and being offended, hating it outright, criticizing it. I am not going to lie or sugarcoat it: the opening to this book is very difficult. It is not pretty and I am betting that there will be more than one person who will say “how can this be a Christian book?” based on the prologue alone. There are subject matters in this book that deal with sensitive issues, controversial to some I am sure. However, if you get past the initial shock and see the true intent and meaning behind this story, you will understand the why.
Let me ask: who comes to the Lord perfect and clean? With no skeletons in their closet? Who approaches this life of faith and enters into it without blood on their hands of some kind? Unforgiveness, bitterness, sadness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, abuse, neglect, rejection, abandonment…this is the way of the world and I have yet to meet one person who hasn’t experienced at least one of these things in their life. And yes, one could argue that the picture that I painted in the beginning was a little extreme but know this: GOD was the one who told me to use this story. To let others know that no matter how extreme the bad was, that He is the God of EXTREME GOOD, of EXTREME love and healing and life and hope and abundance. That NO ONE is exempt from it. That His love is unmatched and so big that we can hardly fathom it and it is better than we can imagine or hope for.
This was the meaning and intention of this book: healing and redemption, wholeness, love. It is at it’s essence an allegory about His love for us and how He showed that love for us by giving us His Son and making us His, should we so choose to accept His invitation.
I have read my book several times over (self-editing is a thing), and every single time I did, I cried. I saw something new. I heard His voice, saw His heart, and it transformed me into a different person, one who now knows the love of God in a more profound, experiential way. He told me: “You may have written this book for others, but I wrote it for you.” WOW. Talk about being wrecked by one simple statement. This is how much He loves me. And this is how much He loves YOU. All He wants is for you to KNOW it, KNOW Him. He wants to be known. The question is: do you want to be known? Loved? Changed?
My hope and prayer is that those who read this book will be changed in some way by the message, by the heart of God in it…and I know that’s His plan, too.
Thank you and blessings to you all,
Miranda B.
The Redeemed Life 