BLESSED TRANSGRESSION, Part III

Most of my writing projects, whether it be a novel, a nonfiction book, a children’s book, or a short story, come to me in a massive flood. The main idea is presented in its entirety. My task over the next months or years is to flesh out, tweak, and refine the project.

However, the idea for Blessed Transgression came to me in a different way. It was more of a muddle or a tangle. I couldn’t see the work in its entirely, and for a little while, I was unsure whether I even wanted to write the story.

Then I decided I was going to take a leap of faith. Admittedly, faith is not my strong point. I don’t like trusting the unknown. I tend to be a control freak who tries to manage every little detail, working overtime to make things turn out the way I want them to. But I made a promise to God: “I’m going to start writing this book. I will proceed with faith. And I’m going to trust that this story will sort itself out.”

Lo and behold, it did! Chapter by chapter, the muddle cleared up, the tangles unknotted themselves, fragmented ideas coalesced, and the work proceeded smoothly. At the end, I was amazed at what had happened.

I am most grateful for this “leap of faith” lesson. Certainly, my next growth task is learning to apply this type of faith to the rest of life. Can I proceed with confidence into the murky muddle in front of me, trusting that, step by step, the confusion and uncertainty will fall away?