Our First Platform

As a young child, I developed a love for fiction. In my teens, I began to write stories with messages to impact the lives of others. However, a deep fear of rejection kept me from entering any of my stories in contests or attempting to become published. As the Lord brought healing of my self-worth through my involvement with YWAM (Youth with a Mission), I tentatively took a step of faith and partnership published a novel with VMI Publishing. An editor prompted me to strengthen weak areas of my plot and tighten my sentences so that the reader would feel as if he or she was experiencing the characters’ agonizing choices and intense emotions.

 In 2008, Love that is Blind came off the press! One friend said, “I knew your story would be good, but you blew off my socks!” Julie Lessman, an award-winning author of historical Christian fiction, read my novel and exclaimed, “Ms. Stone…artfully weaves romantic passion with passion for God in a manner that is rare and powerful in today’s Christian market.” Closer friends rejoiced with me. My DTS mentor, Deidra Larson, said, “You are an amazing writer and the message in it is so fabulous, along with the characters, the plot, the suspense, and the romance.”

However, amid the fans, a few readers shared some critical feedback. A registered nurse noted a fallacy in my medical scene and a book reviewer said my detective work was a few decades old. These criticisms humbled me and reminded me that my true value lies always in my Father’s heart, not any human accomplishment. Even though I had researched every area I wasn’t sure about, I hadn’t corrected every mistake. Writing fiction allows a lot of creativity and leeway with character development and plot sequence. However, every genre of fiction requires facts where the book seeks to reflect reality.

As I meditated on the unconditional value God places on each of us, I plunged into a new book about modern-day human trafficking. When I finished His Cloak of Grace, I prayed for an opportunity to attend a Christian writers’ convention to present my story to agents for hopeful publication. It seemed my chance would have to be delayed, however, since the upcoming national convention was planned after our return to Asia as YWAM missionaries. Then, incredibly, our team leaders mailed a check to me for the exact amount of the conference (which they hadn’t known)! The memo on the check said, “Seed money for your writing.”

Tears filled my eyes. I had always been afraid to travel on my own, but this time I stepped out of the boat and onto the water. I booked my flight to Denver, Colorado, and attended a 2-day conference with the American Christian Fiction Writers where I attended writers’ workshops, heard encouraging speeches by successful authors, and made personal connections with major publishing agents. I felt the Lord had swung open wide the doors for my gifting and calling: to influence the world for Jesus through fiction!

Then, abruptly, Jesus altered course and whispered, “Set aside your writing and pray for your family.” He needed to work within me before He could work further through my writing. I wept before the Lord first over my disintegrating marriage. After the divorce, I wept over the dysfunctional behaviors of my children. Jesus patiently and gently weeded out lies and replaced them with His truth. He has increased my faith in His absolute faithfulness to heal, provide, and protect as we through ourselves upon His heart with radical abandon and childlike trust.

Five years later, I’ve learned even more of Jesus’ grace and the vital importance He places on family. Our children are our first ministry. The home is our first platform. If no other platform is ever given to us, we must be faithful to minister and teach God’s truth within our own homes.

Our lives are meant to be stories that God can break open and spill out with beautiful treasure—treasure that comes out of brokenness and given by the power of His Holy Spirit as we yield our lives to Him.