Turning Pages

The sermon of the guest pastor, Pastor Goldsmith, at our church yesterday stuck out to me. He talked about a page turner who would turn the pages for pianists. And he pointed out the importance of being a page turner, because sometimes that's what God has called you to do. It's not a menial job, by any means. As a Christ follower, sometimes you are a page turner in others' lives.

But as writers, page turners are something completely different to us. When you have a page turner, it means that the book you've written is something someone couldn't put down. They are compelled to turn the page because the book is so engrossing that it captures them completely. That's a testament to your skills as a writer. It's something all of us strive to attain.

Turning pages is an accomplishment. It means you can unfold worlds on a page. In short, when you write a page turner, you've made it. It doesn't matter whether it's a bestseller or if you earned a lot of money from it. What matters is that whoever picks up your book leaves the story shaken emotionally, as though you've reached out and touched a piece of their soul. They're left with a long-lasting impression. Sometimes that impression never leaves them and they'll always remember that book for the rest of their lives. They'll remember it fondly and return to it again and again.

I have had page turners in my life, books that so engross me that I leave the world behind for a while. One of my favorite page turners is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I've had others, like some of Jane Austen's works, but that one touched me the most. Those are ones I return to again and again. There are others, some that were best sellers, some that people state are not good literature and are mediocre. Yet if they touch someone so much that they have to talk about it, isn't that what matters?

And if you have that ability to write page turners, wouldn't you want to use that ability for good? You can not only write a page turner, but also be a page turner in someone's life, like the pastor said. You can spread Jesus's message, just by writing your book. I didn't know that, how gratifying it is to write for the glory of God, until He dropped little gems into my heart and mind to write. Those were some of my best books. And it's because I gave everything I had to Him and opened my heart to his message.