My journey as a novelist began less than a year ago. The idea for my first novel began to take root in my heart and mind at the end of 2018. It was the beginning of what continues to be a great adventure and a tremendous learning experience.

One of the elements i have enjoyed the most is learning how to create “fictional” characters within a novel – to visualize their appearance, to bring their personality and history to life, and then to begin to empathize with them. One of my mentors encouraged me to identify a muse for every character i write about. As i write, i picture that person in my mind’s eye, and his or her appearance and personality begin to help shape that of my story’s character. Through that process, the characters become as real to me as the “real” characters that i place alongside of them.

Shimon, the main character and shepherd in my novel Through the Eyes of a Shepherd, took on his own personality. He became very real to me. As i wrote the thoughts that were being expressed through his character in the novel, i soon stopped placing my words in his mouth and instead began to ask – how would he have responded to this situation? It enabled me to in some ways experience the truth of a situation or experience from another person’s point of view.

One of the minor “fictional” characters in the novel had a significant impact on me personally. His name is Jonathan. He is a young lad, about ten years of age. He was the third and only surviving child of a shepherd and his wife. Their first two sons had been still born. As Jonathan grew, his parents soon learned that he had been born deaf. He had never heard a bird sing, or the sound of the wind, or the sound of his mother’s – or father’s – voice. But he was born with a tender heart – and despite his hardships, his heart remained so.

i’ll endeavor not to give away too much of the plot – but when Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples in pairs directing them to heal the sick and preach the Kingdom of God, Jonathan is healed – and for the first time in his life, he can hear!

Soon thereafter, we see Jonathan again. This time Jesus is teaching five thousand men, plus women and children in a valley. The day is growing late. The people are growing hungry. The apostles suggest to Jesus that He send the people away so they can get food. But He tells His apostles to feed them. He tells them to “go and find out how much bread they have.”

The Gospels tell us there was a little boy with a lunch of five loaves and two fishes. We often focus on the miracle of what Jesus did that day – and rightly so. But allow me for one minute to turn our attention to that little boy. In the novel (spoiler alert!), it’s Jonathan. And he tenderly approaches Jesus with his meager sack lunch. It’s all he had. It was to be his meal for the day. Once he handed it over, he wouldn’t have anything left to eat. But he never hesitated. He wasn’t concerned with how Jesus could use such a meager offering of food. He just knew that he needed to give Jesus all that he had. One week earlier Jonathan had been deaf, and now he could hear! How could he give anything less than all that he had to Jesus?

Now, i will grant you, we don’t know the story of the actual young boy in the Gospels. But folks, there is no indication that he gave it grudgingly. i believe he presented it to Jesus with the same open heart and open hands that i use to describe Jonathan. That little boy wasn’t giving to get; he was giving as an unselfish act of faith and thankfulness. And Jesus rewarded his unselfish act by performing the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand.

God has given us so much. All that we have is from Him. There is a secular song entitled “Thankful” (lyrics below). The writers are correct when they say, “Too often we forget to look around us, and too often we can’t see the joy that surrounds us. We’re caught up inside ourselves and we take when we should give.” But, i would add that as followers of Christ, we not only need to look around us – we need to look at the One who is before us! That little boy wasn’t solely looking at the needs of the crowd, He was looking at the One to whom he owed everything. He didn’t give out of obligation; he gave out of thankfulness. He expressed thanksgiving with an unselfish heart. And yes, the need was met – but even more importantly, the One who deserves all praise and thanksgiving was honored.

As we gather this week for Thanksgiving, let us remember Jonathan and follow his example. Let’s come before Jesus with a thankful heart and surrender all that we have to the One to whom it is due.

Excerpts from Through the Eyes of a Shepherd, Ch. 14 and 15

Thankful 

Some days we forget
To look around us.
Some days we can’t see
The joy that surrounds us.
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say

I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other’s light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for. 

Songwriters: David W Foster / Richard James Page / Carole Bayer Sager

Thankful lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave