See Me - The Wesleyan Church

For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (Ps. 56:13)

AN ESSAY I WROTE that I was particularly happy with couldn’t seem to find a home, although I had sent it out to multiple literary journals. Finally, one editor gave me a hint as to why it wasn’t being accepted. “We were very impressed by your writing,” he wrote, “however, the piece is too religious to fit our needs.” In other words, they liked how I wrote about my life experiences—except for the Jesus part.

I have to admit, I was tempted to rewrite my essay so my faith wasn’t the main focus; but I found myself stuck when I tried revising. There was just no story without Jesus. His presence in the life experiences I was writing was integral. Why? Because His presence is integral to my life and to my interpretation of life. How can it not be? As the psalmist said, He has delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling; it’s because of Him that I may walk before God in the light of life. That’s a big deal. I can’t just shove that aside to make room for something else. It’s the thing itself.

The gospel of the resurrection is the very essence of who we are in Christ. It’s a lifelong experience.

Give thanks to God for His goodness in a meaningful way.

Heather Gemmen Wilson is the author of the Global Warning Series, a fiction series for preteens, and she inspires young minds as a professor of creative writing.