WHAT’S NEXT FOR MAIR
My next book, tentatively called Wounded, is about a young African American woman who is sitting in her Vineyard church and receives the wounds of Christ—the sacred stigmata. I’ll explore some very personal issues, particularly a question I’ve asked myself many times: What does it mean to share in Christ’s suffering? In that novel I explore what makes an individual more receptive to accepting his or her personal cross. The main character, Gina, has lived much of her life as “the least of these.” And now Christ wounds her in this peculiar and extraordinary way. And she doesn’t fit the profile of one who’d likely receive such a grace. She’s a black protestant single mother who is not particularly devout, but she knows something about suffering.
The theme of poverty of spirit seems to be woven into all my work, and from what I see in the Gospels, poverty of spirit is something we definitely need to pay attention to, whether we understand exactly what it is or not. I don’t think you can live out any of the other Beatitudes without being poor in spirit first. Poverty of spirit is deep. We don’t particularly raise our hands high to be chosen for that blessing. And blessed are they who mourn? Ewww! No thanks, unless you’re the one who’s in deep mourning. Then you need that blessing badly.
Christian community will also play a key role, and in my books, community is often found outside of one’s “home church.” Many of my characters have been alienated from church, or they have had experiences as messy as my own. I want to give messy people like me hope.
Jesus loves us, meets us exactly where we are, and grows us through His great love and unfathomable mercy. If somebody closes my book and feels like no matter what kind of hot mess they are, God still loves them, then I’ve done my job. I trust God’s love to draw them to Christ, and then the Holy Spirit can begin to make them more like Him, but I really believe they have to know the love is there first. The John 3:16 stuff. Love really does cover a multitude of sins. I think we need a new revelation of that. We tend to forget, and that is truly a shame.
Thanks for the chat. May God have mercy on us all.
Pax et Bonum!
Mair
Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White Page 32
