By Doug Creamer

Someone recently asked me if I enjoy writing. Writing my column is enjoyable most days, as I am relating how I see God in my everyday life. Then there are times that I stare at the computer hoping something will magically appear on the screen. Those are tough days but I always enjoy the process and knowing I am reaching my readers.

My students asked me if I prefer writing fiction or non-fiction. I told them that I enjoy writing both but that it is more fun to create fiction. When I write fiction, I get to create the characters. They asked if the characters were based on real people or on me. I told them that the characters are developed from a mixture of the people I know. As far as basing a character on myself, I couldn’t deny that there might be a little piece of me in the characters I create.

I think it is fun and interesting to put my characters in situations and see what happens. Sometimes I am surprised by what a character says and does in a specific situation. I also explained to my students that my characters are real to me. I feel like I interact with my characters in my mind. It is fun to think about the imaginary world of my characters and to create their lives.

I taught Sunday school last week and taught my class about God as the author of our lives. There are several places in scripture that talk about God as our author. In Revelation, it talks about God bringing all the people of the world together for judgement day. On that day He will open the books of our lives and we will be judged according to what we have done. In another place it talks about us receiving rewards for all the good things we have done.

In Psalms 139 it says God knitted us together in our mother’s womb. In that same Psalm it says that He saw my unformed body and that all my days were written in His book. It says he ordained my birth and He knows when I will die. Because God is omniscient and not bound by time as we are, He knows every detail of our lives. What is interesting about that to me is that in spite of all the bad stuff in my life, He still loves me.

I told my Sunday school class that they didn’t need to worry about God knowing all the details in their lives, because there was something else that I learned about Him that would help for all the bad or sinful stuff that we have all done. In I John 1:9, we are promised that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us. That means we have to own up to our sins and shortcomings. Then Jeremiah 31:34 promises us that if we confess our sins to God He will not only forgive us but that he will not remember them anymore. In fact, in Micah 7 we are told that he will throw the memory of our sins into the sea where it will be forgotten forever! That is such great news, that in God’s omniscience He will purposefully forgive and forget our confessed sins.

The other great thing the Bible tells us about God is that He plans good things for our lives; in fact, He has filled our future with hope. You may wonder why bad things happen in our lives. There is still a devil and he is up to no good. Even when we go through bad times we can trust God because He promises us that He can bring good things out of every situation we face if we will trust Him. Remember, He is the author of our lives, who is constantly looking for ways to bless us and He allows His favor to rest upon our lives.

No matter what challenges you might be facing, I want to encourage you to turn to God and put your faith and trust in Him. He wrote your story and He has some great things planned for you. You are promised that He is looking out for you and that He will never leave nor forsake you. There is an exciting future waiting to unfold right before your eyes. Yes, there will be tough days, but you can be assured that you will never walk alone. The God of the entire universe is watching out for you, promising great things are planned for you and your life is encased in His unfathomable love.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.