I believe with each passing book I become more and more delusional.
Karen Kingsbury--for all that she writes beautiful novels of the journey of faith and the joys of a God-focused life--is giving me false expectations about everything from romance to the Christian life, to fame, and beyond. All her stories circle around some tragedy and are dramatically reconciled in a brilliant flourish of faith and love. And her love stories--even her love stories make me bawl.
Is that healthy? Is that normal? To become so enraptured in her world of fiction that I find myself wishing I was the girl standing on the dock of the lakeside property, looking out over a sunset beside the love of her life; wishing I had the creativity to paint scenes of beauty like another character and become a well-renowned artist; pretending I am holding the hands of the characters' children and laughing at the beauty of an eight-year-old's antics. I want to get involved with Children's Theater because of the joy that blooms from the heart of one of the characters, who directs at a Christian Kid's Theater. Is that weird?
Yes, the books are encouraging and have helped firm up the faith that has blossomed in my heart ... but all these Happy Endings are really getting to my head. All these happy families and small-town romances and walks of Faith. Really getting to my head.
In other news, tomorrow I'm going to Fresno for fingerprinting for the school. It just occured to me that I'll have cell-phone service for the first time in ... I can't even count how long. Of course, I reached for my phone and realized I didn't have a charger and the battery's plum out. So much for that.
God, is it okay to have hopes and dreams that may never be realized? I guess it's all in Your time; You know the plans you have for me. So should I even have my head in the clouds or should my attention be on my feet and trying to stay on the path you're forming?
I need a breather.
4 comments:
Karen Kingsbury, Lori Wick, Robin Jones Gunn, Catherine Palmer, Dee Henderson, etc etc etc. Their characters were my best friends in high school. I can't read them anymore. Partially because the comfortable middle class faith stories disgust me now (ok, not all of the stories are necessarily comfortable). And partially because the love story part hurts my soul. Remember that Proverb about guarding your heart? I think that these Christian romance writers do absolutely nothing to help the women who read their books to guard their hearts.
From my limited experience, the Happy Ending doesn't exist. Life is hard. Romance is fleeting. Men can't rescue you from your own sinful self.
Maybe I'm bitter? Maybe I'm cynical? Maybe I am. But that doesn't seem to stop my tear ducts when I see a true expression of Love and Compassion. Maybe because it's a glimmer of the real Hope and Truth that exists beyond my limited vision for the world or my life.
Kellie, why didn't we interact more while we were at Westmont? I feel like we are really similar...
btw, sorry for getting on the soap box with that first comment...oh me oh my
:) Hey. Lynne. The possibility for life and new friendships don't end at Westmont's graduation. You and I? We're friends noww. ;) get ready for an adventure.
I think you're right about the interaction between the Proverb and the book. Very interesting observation
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