Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
As a writer, I often struggle to make the words work like they’re supposed to. Sometimes I can’t come up with the right way to describe a physical action or facial expression. I work to set the scene the way I see it playing out in my head, but it doesn’t always translate on the paper or laptop screen. Even worse, there are many days when I can’t see the next part of the story at all, and I don’t even know what to write.
One morning, I prayed, “God, iron out the weird parts of my story and give me a better one to tell.” I meant the 80,000-word contemporary fiction manuscript that was due to my publisher a couple of weeks ago.
However, as I said it, I felt the Holy Spirit speak into me, “The weird parts make you who you are and tell MY story in your life.”
Inwardly, I kind of chuckled. “At least iron out the rough parts, Lord.”
Over and over, He reminds me, “We’ll keep working on those as long as you have breath.”
There are pieces of my life that are painful, embarrassing, and some that are downright shameful. I wish those parts of my story didn’t exist, even though they’re testaments to my Father’s unfailing love and redemption. They’re reminders that I am held, loved, and reshaped by the Author of life.
While I don’t know how long I can keep telling my publisher this upcoming novel is still a work in progress, I’m thankful God continues to refine me for as long as I’m living. I’ve come a long way in my faith journey, and He has repaired many character flaws in me. Unfortunately, new ones keep popping up like suspects in an Agatha Christie novel. This side of Heaven, I will continue to be a work in progress.
God isn’t surprised by the strange twists in our stories. He’s the One weaving them together. The rough patches, the places where we feel stuck, the parts of our lives that don’t translate well on the page—He uses all of it and rewrites it into a saga of salvation and restoration. Even when we feel like we should be further along by now, He patiently keeps shaping and refining us, editing out the parts that don’t reflect Christ. God never rushes His process, and He’s committed to finishing the good work He began in us.