Psalm 139:17 (NLT) How precious are your 
thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  

   I lead a writers' workshop for new 
novelists. While it's easy for me to teach students 
dialogue, description, and plotting, their fiction 
comes to life when I help them understand emotion, 
exploring their own feelings and applying them to 
their work. 
   One common theme from my novels is 
abandonment. My books often include characters who 
attempt to earn love and worry that one wrong move 
will cause others to leave them. 
   Looking closer at my writing, I 
discovered why this theme is often found within my 
novels. I grew up with an emotionally distant 
stepfather and my birth father wasn't around, so I 
never experienced unconditional paternal love. My 
high school boyfriend abandoned me after I became 
pregnant. I began to believe I was unlovable. 
   After I married John, I worried if I did 
something that bothered him, he'd leave me. 
   That distorted feeling transferred to 
Jesus too. Yet, as I explored my fear of 
abandonment through fiction, real-life healing happened 
within me. Helping my characters come to understand 
Jesus's faithful love toward them, even amidst 
conflicts and hardships, enabled me to understand that 
my feelings aren't facts. I don't have to earn 
love from others. Jesus will never leave me. 
   By teaching new writers to explore their 
emotions, I'm helping them write better fiction. I 
also hope they'll begin to better understand 
Jesus's feelings toward them so that they know He 
loves them unconditionally. Tricia Gayer 
   Faith Step: Look at your life as if it 
were a novel. What events may have caused you to 
question Jesus's love? Ask Jesus to help you better 
understand His unconditional love and bring healing to 
your heart. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional 
by Guideposts and Zondervan] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Psalm 139:17 - Gods Thoughts - so Precious 
and Vast. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220430-1042.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs <FGGibbs@abible.com> 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/