Perhaps you think of stars the same way Eustace did in C. S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. According to Eustace, “[A] star is a huge ball of flaming gas” (209). May I suggest, as Lewis said through the character of Ramandu, “[T]hat is not what a star is but only what it is made of” (209). Like stars, you and I are so much more than the physical elements of our daily lives. The God of the universe calls us to be His children and His representatives. In fact, He tells us, “Shine like stars across the land” (The Voice, Phil. 2:15). Stars shine brightest in the darkest nights. Stars remind us, in the words of Samwise Gamgee in The Two Towers film, “[I]t’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it’ll shine out the clearer.” Stars are heralds of hope before the dawning of a new day. Similarly, as Christ-followers, we are “chosen” and “set aside” to “proclaim the wondrous acts of the One who called [us] out of inky darkness into shimmering light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Eustace was right about one thing. Starlight comes through fire. If we are to shine like stars, we too must pass through fire—the refining fire of our holy God (Heb. 12:29). Though the refining process melts us down, it cannot burn us; it only burns away the impurities that darken us (Isa. 43:2). The more we invite God’s refining presence into our lives, the more He refashions and transforms us into crystal-clear vessels filled with His fire that shines like a star to guide others out of darkness and into the light of the Son.
This refining process is the center of our life stories. At times I have been helplessly tangled in the dark mire of anxiety and depression. But I want (as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5) to live by faith with daring passion, fixed purpose, and joyful connection as a pure, transparent vessel abundantly filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s fire, all for the eternal pleasure of God. With this in mind, I make it my goal to daily join myself with Jesus by embracing the new life of freedom He purchased for me to participate in the refinement of my body, soul, and spirit from all foreign filth and to be controlled by nothing but love for Him and the people with whom He connects me.
I believe sharing stories of being refined from darkness to light is one of the greatest expressions of love I can give. When Frodo was at one of his lowest points in The Two Towers, Sam encouraged him with stories of perseverance and hope. Stories help bring God’s light and healing to the people around us in this dark, broken world. Stories aid the life-changing refining process through forging new connections, new perspectives, and new longings. Because we all share human nature, we also share commonalities that are revealed in authentic stories. Those commonalities connect us and can even help reconcile relationships by giving us the same point of reference to communicate and understand our personal life stories. On a spiritual level, through symbolism and metaphor, stories can help us “see” our invisible God and thus understand Him better and strengthen our relationship with Him. Stories touch and connect us in the deepest part of our hearts, not just in the shallowness of our minds. From that connection facilitated by stories, new perspectives and longings arise within us. Stories transport us to new worlds where things appear differently. Literature professor Dr. Steve Hake writes that stories “reflect life” and then “focus” it so we can see “that which is most important” (2). This helps us see the areas of our lives that need refining. The new perspectives and longings we gain through stories shine like stars in the darkness, giving us hope that things can be different. They inspire us to persevere through the difficulties of the refining process. They make us want to act differently, which leads to changed lives.
I’ve experienced this life-changing power of stories first-hand. Even when depression weighed me down so much that I couldn’t function in this world, stories lifted me into new worlds. I’ve been to Narnia where Aslan walked and spoke, to Anniera where Janner learned to be still and truly see himself as his Maker did, to Berk where Hiccup found his identity and purpose, and to Middle Earth where Frodo sacrificially helped save the world from a dark evil. Connecting with the characters in those new worlds gave me hope that my life could be different and filled me with longing: to know Aslan like Lucy, to know myself like Janner, to grow into my life station like Hiccup, and to be part of changing the world like Frodo. Those new perspectives and longings inspired me to act differently. I talk more to Jesus because I connected with Him through Aslan, I’m learning to be still before God through Janner’s example, I’m becoming more confident as I develop my skills and learn from my mistakes just like Hiccup, and I’m inspired by Frodo’s sacrifices to persevere in doing my part in the world. These stories, and others, changed me.
My calling and vocation is to help others experience this life-changing transformation. By channeling the power of storytelling via the creative arts, I desire to be God’s advocate to people trapped in the darkness of despair and bring them Jesus’ healing light of hope that empowers them to live freely through redemption and reconciliation with God, themselves, and others. To that end, I partner with story creators to support them throughout the process of refining their stories to shine like stars and reveal Jesus in the darkest nights of people’s lives.
This support can take many different forms as needed, but it can include:
• Writing
• Proofreading
• Editing
• Research
• Development
• Social Media Posting
This is the fueling fire and guiding light of Refine to Shine Story Services.
Lewis, C. S. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. New York, Scholastic, 1952.
The Two Towers. Directed by Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, 2002. “LOTR The Two Towers - The Tales That Really Mattered....” YouTube, uploaded by EgalmothOfGondolin01, March 7, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6C8SX0mWP0. Accessed 3 Apr. 2022.
Hake, Steve. “Why Study Literature?” Patrick Henry College, 2001, cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/1718959/Documents/Why_Study_Literature.pdf. Accessed 3 Apr. 2022.