Redeemed

Afterword

This book is not the Bible.

When reading or writing a book that includes Biblical stories or characters, it can be easy to replace the original stories and lessons of God's Word with the new. And while this book was inspired by God, it is only that: a book. A starting place.

The idea for this novel came to me as a vision when I was a freshman in college. I had been pondering the idea of how people who have nothing to lose often come to Christ, and how of course someone would put faith in God when there were no options left. But what about someone who had resources, who could put trust in ability or material items? Thus God gave me this picture of a young woman hanging in a ravine, held up by two forces. In one hand, she held her accomplishments, her dreams, her material possessions. In the other, she held the hand of Christ. Only one would save her, but in making the choice, she must let go of the other. I'm sure you know which scene this vision became in the book!

Thus Thea was born. I originally planned for this book to be a story of how you have to give up everything you hold dear in order to fully trust God, but as with most God-inspired ideas, God had a bigger plan. It became a love story. The scene when the Prince rides by Thea's house and glimpses her working in the field comes straight out of Song of Songs, when King Solomon, the ruler of Israel, falls in love with a field hand. The rest of Song of Songs tells of the courtship between the two and also acts as a larger metaphor for how Christ pursues his bride, the Church. Again, I'm sure you can guess the connections in this book.

That said, Redeemed is an allegory, and as with all allegories, it falls well short of reality. Thea in this book does not represent the church but an individual believer and follower of Christ. Luke 15 tells the story of the shepherd who chases after the lost sheep, leaving his flock behind. Thea is that lost sheep. The wedding in this book is not a symbol of when Christ will return for the Church, but a symbol of the type of relationship God calls us to have with Him. As a good wife puts her husband first, so must we as believers put God first. Just as a good marriage includes communication, encouragement, and a bettering of self for the other, so our relationship with God should be. And like the perfect husband, God will always be there to help us, just as the Prince supports and guides Thea after their marriage.

Many of the stories told in the book are retellings of stories from the Bible. If you are new to the faith or have not spent much time reading God's Word, I urge you to go and read the original stories - they are much better than anything I can write. Find a friend who will go through the Bible with you, just as Maurine and Merium helped guide Thea in her understanding. In the back is a list of scripture references that were used in this book. Check them out. Read them, study them, let them soak into your heart, and then read the rest of the Bible. For just as this book is ultimately a love story about a Prince winning a girl's heart, so the Bible is a love story of our Almighty Creator redeeming His beloved creation.

Happy reading.