Belief

This Christmas season I have really been thinking about the role of belief/faith in our lives. Little children start out with such unwavering faith.  Just watch a child at Christmas time when they talk about Santa.  The fact that a fat man flies all night long, all over the world to shimmy down chimneys or drain pipes doesn't seem ridiculous to them at all.  Why?  Because they believe in him and all that he stands for.  As children grow up it becomes harder to believe in anything, not just Santa.  But we all long for that innocence again when we can just believe in things without having to question and analyze everything.  I think that's why movies and books with fantastical elements really appeal to our society as a whole.  As writers, our job is to take our readers into a world where they can suspend their cynicism and, even if it's just for a moment, believe in magic again like they did as children.
The problem with this whole process is that, we as writers, the ones who are supposed to make others believe in the impossible, often don't even believe in ourselves.  I want to believe in myself as a writer, I really do, but sometimes the doubts are too powerful.  I am getting closer to finding self-belief and a big part of that is because of the support system I have around me.  I have all of you, my writing groups, my friends, and most importantly, my family.  My husband and my children are my biggest fans.  I have been writing one YA series for about 3 1/2 years now, but they still encourage me to keep going with it and not give up.  This year at Christmas, I opened a gift from my 12 yr old daughter and found a cardboard box in the shape of a book.  She had painted the box and put the title of my series on the front along with my name underneath.  I couldn't help but tear up when I saw it.  She believes in my writing even though I've given her no reason to do so.  I don't have a long list of successes or references or accomplishments, but her belief is unwavering.  I want to have that kind of belief for myself.
This is when I ask myself what I do believe in.  The answer to that is, Christ.  I do believe he came into the world as an innocent babe to save us all.  I do believe that he was born to a virgin, and that angels came to shepherds in a field to tell them where to find the newborn king.  I do believe that Christ grew up and performed miracles on the earth, and that he bled from every pore in the garden of Gethsemane to atone for the sins of the world.  I also believe that after he died on the cross he was resurrected and overcame death. 
When I think of all the wonderfully fantastical things I do believe in, I realize I have it in me to believe that all things are possible.  With God's help I truly can do anything.
Belief makes the world a wonderful place! 
With that thought, I want to thank everyone who reads this blog.  I believe in each and every one of you and know that you can reach your writing dreams.


Don't forget that starting Monday, January 2nd we will be having our 3rd year blog celebration!  You won't want to miss it!