It’s rare that I write something that doesn’t require revision. These blogs are often rewritten and edited several times before they’re published, and I rewrote parts of my book more times than I’d ever like to admit. In fact, the only thing that separated the version of the book that’s in print now from the one that’s still evolving in my heart and mind was a decision to draw a line in the sand to publish what it was at that point in time.
Anticipating the Process
I sure wish some of the things I’ve learned could come as easily as the rewrite process in my writing work. In fact, I’d say that at this point, I’ve come to anticipate some of the reworking that my editor does and am grateful in advance.
Yet I’m consistently surprised when I realize that the Author of perfection is rewriting what I thought were good stories and good plans in my head. God had to rewrite what marriage and purity meant to me to align with His purposes. He had to rewrite my idea of a family. He had to rewrite perseverance in a way that I could see that it was a synonym for victory. He is rewriting and redrawing every boundary I thought I had appropriately drawn for patience, forgiveness, and humility.
Rewriting in Love
As the Author of perfection, everything He does is perfect from the start. After Jesus bent down to write in the sand in John 8, there isn’t any indication that He wiped away any words to make a correction. Whatever He wrote was perfect from the start, just as the Word of God remains now. It’s not His plans or words that need a revision. It’s the lives of the people around Him that need to be rewritten to align with His story.
I recently heard someone recount a tragedy in which a loved one was hospitalized because of a serious illness. Years later, as the person described it, the events had changed to reflect a softer, more palatable version of the story. It was one the person was able to describe without the initial frightening emotions. While many of us might explain this as part of the natural healing process that comes with time, I saw it as more. It was almost as though God had rewritten the memory for this person to show Himself present in the story. What love He has for us.
I’m learning that it’s typically much better when God rewrites my ideas, not just at the keyboard, but especially in the everyday events of my life.
