While I aimed this post at writers, I hope readers of Christian fiction get something out of it too.
I write Christian romantic suspense and have three books published with Anaiah Press, (Northern Deception, Northern Hearts, and Northern Protector), and the fourth book (Northern Redemption) will come out in 2023.
The two-year pandemic caused all of us many hardships. My family didn’t get with COVID until March of this year, but I had an unrelenting issue during the pandemic with my sight.
Even though I’m young (!) my eyes grew cataracts. My eye doctor told me I had to quit driving while I waited for my surgery. Now I wasn’t just housebound from COVID, I was permanently “on the bench” and my husband had to take over all of my “running around errands” which drove me crazy. I felt like I was in prison.
Faced with blowing up the font on my computer to a gigantic size just so I could read fuzzy words, wasn’t conducive to producing my daily word count. I was frustrated, angry, and also feeling guilty because I knew my problem wasn’t life-threatening. Surgery would solve my problem—once I got the surgery!
Well, it solved it for a little while. Then my vision blurred up again, and I had one day where my left eye went completely gray. My husband drove me to the eye surgeon, and we feared I had a detached retina. However, I had scar tissue that had clouded up the very lenses my surgeon had put in my eyes when she removed the cataracts! Now I had to wait for laser surgery to remove the scar tissue. And this got progressively worse as I waited three months for that surgery.
I knew in my brain that I was lucky I didn’t have glaucoma, or detached retinas, or macular degeneration. I knew that this was a temporary affliction and God was using it to teach me patience—at the very least, patience! I’d also learned that my sight was precious and that even losing it for the better part of two years was horrible.
So, because I couldn’t read during this time—way too frustrating, even with my Kindle on the largest font—a writer friend asked me if I’d ever heard of The Chosen, a filmed life of Jesus that was taking the Christian world by storm. It’s available for free streaming via an “app” (application) that one can download through The App Store online, or you can view episodes via YouTube as well.
She raved about it and suggested it would be just the thing to perk up my spirits and help me with my “false guilt”. This friend of mine had a good point. While I felt guilty for being upset that I couldn’t see to type properly (and dictation was even MORE frustrating because I missed all the words that needed to be corrected), I’d thrown up my hands and quit writing the second time I lost my vision.
Her point was that any affliction God sends us is particular to us and while other people may go through far worse things, e.g. cancer, COVID deaths in the family, etc., our problems/afflictions are just as valid and God is in them and with us just as much as He is with other people.
So, I downloaded the app “The Chosen” and watched the first episode in bed one night. Here is the trailer for the first season:
Did it fill my spiritual well? Yes, it did. Where I had been feeling lost, dried out, unable to keep writing the book they contracted me for, because of my eye problems, this show brought me back to my Bible and my prayer time.
Yes, this blog is about Christian fiction and Christian books. But if I’ve gotten you the slightest bit interested in watching The Chosen, I can guarantee the excellent storytelling will enthrall you. Both of our adult children have Down Syndrome. They’ve seen other biblical movies. But this show really brought home bible stories for them and made them real to them. My husband and I were so blessed by that aspect of sharing The Chosen with them!
When we’re writing Christian fiction, we think of our themes, our “message”, and our ministry. Sometimes, we get too caught up in ourselves as the author, and don’t let God come through the way He’d like to shine. Sometimes we need to take a break so that God can refill our creative well.
I believe my two-year gap in writing because of my eyes has taught me that God never moves away from us. He’s never going to leave us, no matter what we’re going through. And He will use stories to bring us closer to Him, whether through books, film, or TV shows.
Wow Laurie what a struggle you have been through, thank you for sharing with us. I appreciate your honesty and I’m so pleased you were able to connect with God in a new way through The Chosen. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes but God also spoke powerfully to me through them. Praying all is ok now. Many blessings, Keona xx
Thank you for your kind words, Keona! My eyes will never be 100% but I can at least use the computer most days. The pandemic was definitely a “desert” time for me but not just because of the lockdown. My father has been deaf since his teen’s and he’s always said he’d rather be blind than deaf. I’ve told him since my first surgery that I’d much rather be deaf than blind. (I have hearing loss as well but am not officially deaf). I’m in awe of the tremendous talent of Dale Jenkins and his co-writer on The Chosen, and all of the actors in the cast who do such a tremendous job of bringing Jesus and His disciples to life on the screen. I believe they are touching the world in a profound way.
Hi Laurie, I haven’t watched The Chosen, and I will look for it.
“Her point was that any affliction God sends us is particular to us and while other people may go through far worse things, e.g. cancer, COVID deaths in the family, etc., our problems/afflictions are just as valid and God is in them and with us just as much as He is with other people.”
This. I have also been struggling with a few health issues, including migraines and long Covid, and I empathise with your frustration in not being able to read or write. Podcasts and YouTube are my go-to alternatives when I temporarily have blurry vision from migraines, and can cope with sound. I’m praying you’ll move into a season of restored health soon. Thanks for sharing with us. 😊
Hi Narelle,
I’m sorry to hear about your migraines and long COVID. I also suffer from migraines and taken a daily prophylaxis to try and prevent them but any barometric pressure changes or lack of sleep or extreme stress will still do me in.
I always figure in adding a couple of days into my writing target just for those days because I know they’ll come.
Sometimes I’ve wondered if migraine was what St Paul called his “thorn in my side to keep me humble”…can you imagine having a migraine back then with no painkillers? I sure can’t!
Hi Laurie, We’re heading into summer, and those barometric pressure changes when stormy weather is coming are so not fun. I’m fortunate to have a very high pain tolerance. I’ll experience blurry vision, sensitivity to light/sound, nausea, and the extreme fatigue before the head pain is bad enough to need meds. An early clue that a migraine is hovering is I can’t reverse my car in a straight line. Long Covid also activated asthma symptoms, along with fatigue. It’s challenging to find the right balance and pace myself and not push myself too hard. I also have caring responsibilities for my mum and son to manage. I’ve learned to say no and limit what I do in a volunteer capacity. I also left my day job earlier this year. I agree, that may well have been what Paul was talking about. Take care xo