Before I left for my sabbatical, I asked you all for a list of your favorite fictional books. I'm not a fiction reader. I really enjoy nonfiction. I like to learn. I like reading things I can put to practical use. But I know that reading fiction is good for the creative brain, and it sounded like something one should do when taking a break from the usual daily routine. So, I asked you all for a list, and you all came through strong.

Friends, guess how many fiction books I read while on my sabbatical?

Zero.

Absolutely none.

(But I did finally watch the movie Redeeming Love. I read that fictional book years ago. Does that count for anything? J I thought it was really good, even though I know there's a lot of hoopla in the church over some of the physically intimate scenes. Once again, when it comes to our physicality, the churched can easily be triggered and freak out. We carry wounds regarding our body, what we've done to it, and what's been done to it. The future of my mission and call to the body of Christ regarding their body is secure.)

For the first few weeks, when I wasn't sleeping, all I wanted to do was spend time with God. After all, the main point of my sabbatical was to spend time with God. To simply be His. And the best way I know how to spend time with Him is to start by reading His word.

I became consumed with His word and by His word.

Having no time limits to reading His word felt like an extreme luxury. I can't remember the last time I was obsessed with the word of God. I was like the third-grade version of me who couldn't get enough of the fictional books by Judy Blume.

Superfudge

Blubber

And every pre-teen training bra-wearing girl's manual for life in the 1980s Are You There God It's Me, Margaret

But I can tell you this with great assurance; Judy Blume has NOTHING on the word of God.

The word of God is not fiction. It is true. And reading it gives us life and instructs us in life. It gives us life by stripping us down and building us up. It removes things that don't belong on us or in us, like the lies of Satan, the world, and our flesh. It builds us up by putting in us the Love of God and on us the holiness of God, which helps us live whole.

The word of God makes us over. It dresses us for life. After all, this life is a dress rehearsal for the Kingdom of God that is here now and is to come.

God's word is not just active, alive, and makes us over; it's also wild and free. It beckons us to follow Him wherever He goes, to come away with Him to get real rest, and to live an adventuresome life where the best fictional tales told get their storylines.

Reading God's word helps us to know Someone who can feel like fiction. The Creator of the universe is Someone we haven't seen with our own eyes, yet he is Someone our hearts and mind need to be true because he made us for Him.

When we read God's word, we read recorded stories of people with faith who wrote songs and poems about God and faith. We learn about people who have gone before us, and we feel galvanized to do the same.

God's word dares us to take our make believe, thoughts like "I wonder if I could actually slay this giant of body shame?" into a non-fictional story we can tell others or write books about how God has set us free from body shame.

Consuming the word of God takes a make-believe Christian, a person who get stuck living and dreaming about what could be, into active followers of Jesus who take risks, acts on faith, remains patient, and makes belief in God seen for people who cannot see. When we've been fed and filled by God's word, we can walk out into the world looking for Someone to feed. Instead of playing make-believe with God, we go out into the world, act on His word and make belief!

God's word contains the best stories.

Jesus is the best storyteller.

And everything in God's word stirs our faith to partner with God to take things that feel more like fictional nightmares or dreams into a non-fictional reality that pleases God's heart and gives us victory over our enemy and joy to our hearts. Stories stored up in our hearts come to life through risking obedience to God's word and acting upon it in faith.

So friends, keep reading all the fiction and nonfiction books if you so well please. But I challenge you to watch the clock. Pay attention to how much time you spend investing in a fictional world (Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Amazon,…etc.). You will never, ever, ever regret spending more time with God in His word. He wants to make belief with you!

Do whatever you need to do to be more in the word and to get more of His word into you!

Listen to my podcast this week for the reading of this post and three practical things you can do to get more of God's word into your busy life starting today!

What's one thing right now you know you can do to make more room for the word of God in your life?

His Love,

Alisa

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