It’s nothing new to hear that it’s only when we leave our comfort zone that we grow. That it is our struggles and failures that stretch, mold, mature, and improve us.

Yet, it is true. Our sufferings and stumblings not only reveal who we are, but if we let them, they can make us better than we were.

We all know this is true, but it can be difficult, if not almost impossible, to believe when we are in the midst of a personal battle, or trying to rebuild a life from the ashes of one that burned down.

This is where fiction comes in. Great fiction can remind us of this, because fiction tends us to SHOW us this truth in a way that we can accept, because it feels less personal, and we are less defensive against the message than we would otherwise would be.

Whether it’s Jean Valjean’s life-changing encounter with the Bishop, Frodo Baggins and Sam carrying that Ring to Mordor, Don Quixote setting out to become a knight late in life (maybe going about renewing his life in not the best way!), King Lear and Cordelia in exile, or Harry Potter running around homeless trying to destroy horcruxes, we get the message.

We see how difficulty and strife can bring out either the best or the worst in us. We see that which one it brings out is our choice.

We see how the things characters thought they needed, their material crutches, weren’t so necessary after all. Maybe that crutch that was just ripped away from us isn’t necessary, either.

We see an absolute disaster, a worst-case scenario, turn into fertile soil for an unexpected victory that could never have happened otherwise. We find hope.

We see the role of providence in a character’s life, and maybe we can find hope to believe that God is working in ours as well.

That’s what I’m thankful for right now. What are you thankful for today?

Another thing I’m thankful for: my novel is free on Amazon today! Check it out here.