Attitude as Style

The other day I did things that were “extra” good with the kids with an attitude that didn’t match. Sin stinks. Anyway, it struck me that writing is sometimes like that, too, if we just translate attitude as style. Good content and a good project, but the tone spoils the effect. Sigh. Sin.

 

This life is full of sin and aftershocks of sin. But if you are doing a good thing, or trying to do a good thing, please don’t stop just because sin still rears its ugly head.

As writers, maybe we can think about attitude as style in our books. Sometimes we have to work on our attitude. Sometimes we have to majorly adjust our style. We can be working away, only to realize there is more work to be done.

Thanks be to God that He forgives our attitudes and lack of style on a very regular schedule—every Sunday, if not more often. There is mercy, redemption, and a picture much bigger and sweeter than whatever project we pursue.

Being a writer and a Christian means we will always fall so far short. Still, we plug away, not because of the high earnings (!), but because there really are God’s gifts to receive and unpack and live with.

As a Christian, I can recognize that I just didn’t bring enough to the table for the day, and those activities with my kids, to be as good as it should have been. I undermined it myself, and if we consider attitude as style, I had a pretty ugly day: mismatched and disheartening even if other important pieces or elements were there.

Sin stinks. It colors, taints, and dwarfs the good we do. Still, I am thankful.

Sometimes the writing just doesn’t work. There isn’t flow or there isn’t that something that sparks interest or holds attention. Sometimes life is like that in more areas than writing! Yet, there is so much more to life (and parenting, in this case) than examples of bad attitudes. Sin taints characters, development, and progression, but there is still beauty, truth, forgiveness, mercy, love, faith, creation, nuance, and more.

Thanks be to God, because all that goodness and delight comes graciously from Him for the sake of His Son and His Work. He redeemed the day for my kids and He redeemed the day for me—and that is on top of redeeming us all!

His workmanship is marvelous! If we grime it up, it still shines, and it just so happens to match and “go with” everything.

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