Curiosity and Imagination

What if . . . 

Those two words are the staple of a novelist’s thought process when confronted with almost any situation. 

 What if … reveals curiosity about the details omitted from the record or simply from our finite vision. 

What if … fuels the imagination to consider a different motivation, outcome, or emotion from the one we are presented with or expect.  

What if … helps us to put ourselves in the place of others and see things from a different perspective. 

But what if the what-ifs are for more than just fiction writers? What if the what-ifs are important for all of us to consider in every story we hear? 

I thought about this today when I attended a wonderful gathering of women focused on learning from the lives of godly women who have gone before us, both in history and in our family lines. We heard an amazing story of a woman who did a hard, right thing and ended up saving not only her own life but the lives of many others as well. Not to mention the generations that have come from all those who lived on when things looked bleak. 

But one of the most interesting parts of the morning was the discussion after hearing this story. The what-ifs that several women brought up, even if they didn’t use that term. Consideration of this woman’s motivation to do good, of the one to whom she did the good, of those who considered her good deed foolish—only to realize that the woman’s deed ultimately saved their lives. Thinking about all the generations after now affected by one good deed. 

And then there was the speculation over details not known— specifically, the personal history of a woman who had such courage. 

My fiction-writing brain was exploding! 

But the thing is, all those questions and considerations—all those what-ifs—didn’t just mean something as story ideas for me. The entire group’s curiosity and imagination deepened each woman’s understanding of how we each walk with Christ. Whether we do so in courage or in fear for our reputation. Whether we truly follow Christ or follow Christian culture. And in thinking about such things, we are changed. Just as we are changed by the stories of the people in the Bible who have gone before us in the faith. 

And that, for me, is what good storytelling is all about. Not just stories from history or stories made up from a person’s head, but the stories recorded for us in God’s Word, for He is the best Storyteller of the best story. 

Next time you pick up your Bible, approach the text with the same curiosity and imagination and ask the Holy Spirit to give you new insight into familiar stories. After all, God Himself gifted us all with curiosity and imagination, so why wouldn’t He want us to bring that with us when we read His Word?