Three Reasons to Allow Your Characters to Have Questions about Their Faith
Welcome (and Happy Release Day to) guest blogger, Heidi Chiavaroli!
(and ten bonus points to me - Carrie - for spelling her last name right in one try. I have no proof. You just have to believe me) ;)
3 Reasons to Allow Your Characters to Have Questions about Their Faith
by Heidi Chiavaroli
I remember the moment clearly, as if it were yesterday instead of eleven years ago. The kids were taking naps and I lay on my bed, sobbing, thinking of the conversation I just had with a person I respected. In the last hour, this person had seemed to effectively disprove the evidence of my faith. I was a new Christian and I couldn’t deny the hope my recent faith in Jesus had given me. Now, though, looking at what appeared to be true evidence that discredited the crux of my faith, I wondered if it had all been a lie. I wondered if I’d been fooled, duped. If I’d only conjured up this sense of peace and light and hope enveloping my being. Doubts gained entrance to my soul, and there, I plummeted into a pit of darkness.
I remembered crying out to God.
“If you are who you say you are, then show me!”
It wasn’t that hour, but very soon after He did just that. With a lot of seeking, a lot of counsel, a lot of prayer, God did indeed show up.
After coming out of that spiritual battle, I felt I had scars aplenty. And yet I knew I was stronger. God had not abandoned me. Instead, He not only proved Himself, but He shone His light and hope into a deeper place in my soul.
That battle, that time of doubt, was not pleasant, but it was real. As an author, I can’t imagine portraying characters—portraying what it means to be human—without exploring what it also means to doubt. I think it’s important in our stories to allow our characters to have questions about their faith. Here are three reasons why:
Our characters and our stories should speak truth and authenticity.
I think if we’re honest, we all struggle with doubts and questions once in a while. It’s that in-between dilemma—that place between the now and the will-be promise that God has given us, where our real selves are hidden with Him. If we ignore this truth in our fiction, then we are not creating true-to-life characters, but merely neat cardboard cutouts. Yes, many people in real life have amazing faith and they are to be admired, but how did they obtain that faith? More than likely, it was through trial and perhaps times of doubt and questioning.
To reach more readers for what truly matters. I consider my stories far from preachy, and yet I hope they gently weave the message of the gospel in between their pages. In my sophomore novel, The Hidden Side, the Abbott family tries to come to terms with the unspeakable actions of one of their family members. Quite honestly, as a mother, I can’t think of a circumstance that would be worse than the one the Abbotts face. And yet they are a family of faith.
I wanted to explore, with authenticity, how this would play out for them. While I would like to think my faith is strong enough to stand against anything, I know from experience how liable it is to be shaken. If I want my stories to touch readers, I can’t pretend my characters won’t go through the same when trials come. Yet so often, in my experience, doubt has been a threshold to a deepened faith. That’s what I want to show in my stories.
Our God doesn’t need a fake faith—in our lives or in those of our characters.If we ignore our questions and doubts (and if we allow our characters to do so as well), we’re not being real with ourselves or with God. Our God doesn’t need a fake faith. He’s the Almighty, the Creator of all things. He can handle our doubts and questions. Really. And I absolutely believe He will use them to strengthen us as He did for Thomas, Abraham, and many others in Scripture.
As an author, I don’t want to discredit God’s power and ability to work through any and all situations. Our world is rife with places that many consider dark and hopeless, and yet this is where Jesus went. He never ignored the ugly. He never ignored the doubt. Instead, He shone His light into it. And always—always—it held up, because always—always—Jesus holds up.
That, more than anything, is the goal and responsibility I charge myself with when writing a book: to go to the dark places. Those places of hopelessness and evil and doubt and disbelief. Go there, and shine light and truth.
Have you ever struggled in your faith? If so, how has it affected your journey and your fiction? What do you think of the importance of allowing your characters to have questions about their faith?
*images from Heidi Chiavaroli and Unsplash.com
New York, 2016 Natalie Abbott offers answers for hurting listeners on her popular radio program. But she struggles to connect with her teenagers, with her daughter in an unhealthy relationship and her son uncommunicative and isolated. When one member of the family commits an unspeakable act, Natalie is forced to uncover who she truly is under the façade of her radio persona.
New York, 1776
Mercy Howard is shocked when her fiancé, Nathan Hale, is arrested and hanged as a spy. When she’s asked to join the revolutionary spy ring in Manhattan, she sees an opportunity to avenge Nathan’s death. But keeping her true loyalties hidden grows increasingly harder as the charming Major John Andre of the King’s Army becomes more to her than a target for intelligence.
Mercy’s journals comfort Natalie from across the centuries as both women struggle with their own secrets and shame, wondering how deep God’s mercy extends.
Goodreads | Amazon
3 out of our 4 family members researching for The Hidden Side in Setauket, NY. Here we are at Patriot’s Rock, which makes several appearances in The Hidden Side.
Heidi Chiavaroli began writing eleven years ago, just after Jesus grabbed hold of her heart. She used her two small boys’ nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn’t stopped writing since! Heidi won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring , was a 4½-star Romantic Times Top Pick and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut, and her latest novel, The Hidden Side , is scheduled to release in May 2018. Heidi loves exploring places that whisper of historical secrets, especially with her family. She loves running, hiking, baking, and dates with her high-school sweetheart and husband of fourteen years. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Giveaway!
Heidi is offering a copy of The Hidden Side and this lovely 'It is Well with my Soul' wall art to one of our commenters today (US only).
I'm including her questions down here again, just for convenience :)
Have you ever struggled in your faith? If so, how has it affected your journey and your fiction? What do you think of the importance of allowing your characters to have questions about their faith?
(and ten bonus points to me - Carrie - for spelling her last name right in one try. I have no proof. You just have to believe me) ;)
3 Reasons to Allow Your Characters to Have Questions about Their Faith
by Heidi Chiavaroli
I remember the moment clearly, as if it were yesterday instead of eleven years ago. The kids were taking naps and I lay on my bed, sobbing, thinking of the conversation I just had with a person I respected. In the last hour, this person had seemed to effectively disprove the evidence of my faith. I was a new Christian and I couldn’t deny the hope my recent faith in Jesus had given me. Now, though, looking at what appeared to be true evidence that discredited the crux of my faith, I wondered if it had all been a lie. I wondered if I’d been fooled, duped. If I’d only conjured up this sense of peace and light and hope enveloping my being. Doubts gained entrance to my soul, and there, I plummeted into a pit of darkness. I remembered crying out to God.
“If you are who you say you are, then show me!”
It wasn’t that hour, but very soon after He did just that. With a lot of seeking, a lot of counsel, a lot of prayer, God did indeed show up.
After coming out of that spiritual battle, I felt I had scars aplenty. And yet I knew I was stronger. God had not abandoned me. Instead, He not only proved Himself, but He shone His light and hope into a deeper place in my soul.
That battle, that time of doubt, was not pleasant, but it was real. As an author, I can’t imagine portraying characters—portraying what it means to be human—without exploring what it also means to doubt. I think it’s important in our stories to allow our characters to have questions about their faith. Here are three reasons why:
Our characters and our stories should speak truth and authenticity.
I think if we’re honest, we all struggle with doubts and questions once in a while. It’s that in-between dilemma—that place between the now and the will-be promise that God has given us, where our real selves are hidden with Him. If we ignore this truth in our fiction, then we are not creating true-to-life characters, but merely neat cardboard cutouts. Yes, many people in real life have amazing faith and they are to be admired, but how did they obtain that faith? More than likely, it was through trial and perhaps times of doubt and questioning. To reach more readers for what truly matters. I consider my stories far from preachy, and yet I hope they gently weave the message of the gospel in between their pages. In my sophomore novel, The Hidden Side, the Abbott family tries to come to terms with the unspeakable actions of one of their family members. Quite honestly, as a mother, I can’t think of a circumstance that would be worse than the one the Abbotts face. And yet they are a family of faith.
I wanted to explore, with authenticity, how this would play out for them. While I would like to think my faith is strong enough to stand against anything, I know from experience how liable it is to be shaken. If I want my stories to touch readers, I can’t pretend my characters won’t go through the same when trials come. Yet so often, in my experience, doubt has been a threshold to a deepened faith. That’s what I want to show in my stories. Our God doesn’t need a fake faith—in our lives or in those of our characters.If we ignore our questions and doubts (and if we allow our characters to do so as well), we’re not being real with ourselves or with God. Our God doesn’t need a fake faith. He’s the Almighty, the Creator of all things. He can handle our doubts and questions. Really. And I absolutely believe He will use them to strengthen us as He did for Thomas, Abraham, and many others in Scripture.
As an author, I don’t want to discredit God’s power and ability to work through any and all situations. Our world is rife with places that many consider dark and hopeless, and yet this is where Jesus went. He never ignored the ugly. He never ignored the doubt. Instead, He shone His light into it. And always—always—it held up, because always—always—Jesus holds up.That, more than anything, is the goal and responsibility I charge myself with when writing a book: to go to the dark places. Those places of hopelessness and evil and doubt and disbelief. Go there, and shine light and truth.
Have you ever struggled in your faith? If so, how has it affected your journey and your fiction? What do you think of the importance of allowing your characters to have questions about their faith?
*images from Heidi Chiavaroli and Unsplash.com
New York, 2016 Natalie Abbott offers answers for hurting listeners on her popular radio program. But she struggles to connect with her teenagers, with her daughter in an unhealthy relationship and her son uncommunicative and isolated. When one member of the family commits an unspeakable act, Natalie is forced to uncover who she truly is under the façade of her radio persona.
New York, 1776
Mercy Howard is shocked when her fiancé, Nathan Hale, is arrested and hanged as a spy. When she’s asked to join the revolutionary spy ring in Manhattan, she sees an opportunity to avenge Nathan’s death. But keeping her true loyalties hidden grows increasingly harder as the charming Major John Andre of the King’s Army becomes more to her than a target for intelligence.
Mercy’s journals comfort Natalie from across the centuries as both women struggle with their own secrets and shame, wondering how deep God’s mercy extends.
Goodreads | Amazon
3 out of our 4 family members researching for The Hidden Side in Setauket, NY. Here we are at Patriot’s Rock, which makes several appearances in The Hidden Side.Heidi Chiavaroli began writing eleven years ago, just after Jesus grabbed hold of her heart. She used her two small boys’ nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn’t stopped writing since! Heidi won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring , was a 4½-star Romantic Times Top Pick and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut, and her latest novel, The Hidden Side , is scheduled to release in May 2018. Heidi loves exploring places that whisper of historical secrets, especially with her family. She loves running, hiking, baking, and dates with her high-school sweetheart and husband of fourteen years. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Giveaway!
Heidi is offering a copy of The Hidden Side and this lovely 'It is Well with my Soul' wall art to one of our commenters today (US only).
I'm including her questions down here again, just for convenience :)
Have you ever struggled in your faith? If so, how has it affected your journey and your fiction? What do you think of the importance of allowing your characters to have questions about their faith?
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