Just the Facts

We’ve been watching a new show lately. Normally we like crime dramas, but sometimes we just want a good story that warms us from inside out. Same goes for books, tv, and movies. “But, it’s fiction,” you might say. Agreed. I would counter, however, that sometimes just the facts aren’t enough.

A friend shared with me that she tries to keep two books going–one fiction and one nonfiction. I’ve adopted her idea. I love fiction, but I try to always be reading a nonfiction book too. It can be a thought-provoking account of a current or historic event, a how-things-work book, a book to help me deepen my faith, or to learn how to be better at something. Reading nonfiction helps me feel like I’m keeping my brain cells sharp, like I’m always learning, always growing, always getting the facts.

But, I believe good fiction has a valid place in my to-be-read pile too–and not just for entertainment. A great writer can give you a look into someone else’s head, someone else’s heart. I will never be able to truly know another person’s thoughts or motives. But, in a well-written well-researched story, I can get inside a character’s head while he or she works through inner conflict, relationship issues, external pressures, and problems. I have often found myself realizing what might be going on my own world as I see through a character’s eyes in a similar situation.

Fiction is, as its name implies, not true. It’s made-up. While that is inappropriate in a court room, news cast, or report, it’s actually a good reason fiction is valuable. Many of my writing instructors have taught me that the best stories are written when the writer is willing to be vulnerable, to be transparent. The stories that hit closest to our hearts are the ones that hit a common place inside of us. When we can relate to the character–what he or she is thinking or going through–we cheer for him. We scold her for bad decisions. We feel mistreated alongside him in unfair situations. We feel empathy.

That is one of the best reasons to regularly take a break from “just the facts” and indulge in the world of fiction. Those who read good fiction just might feel more empathy for another person–especially one who thinks or believes differently than themselves. It makes a difference when you can get inside someone else’s skin, their head, their heart.

Our new show is a drama about a father and his children moving to a small town. They’re learning to love and support each other through their brokenness as they heal from the tragic loss of their mom. It’s about how the people in the town come alongside them and welcome them into their heart. It’s about how sometimes, because of their different way of doing or looking at things, they are mistreated, persecuted.

We’re beginning the second season. They’re working through grief, conflict, relationship issues, and external pressures within their family and in their new town. They are way out of their comfort zone. They also believe differently from me in some fundamental ways. But as they struggle through the first year of a life of new normal, I have found myself realizing that in many ways, we are very much alike. We face many of the same challenges and emotional hurts.

I don’t know where the series is going, so I don’t know what to expect, but so far it has given us much food for thought and discussion of some difficult subjects. Even though I don’t always agree with their decisions or positions, I do love the fact that it’s a story about a family facing the world, and sometimes each other, together. I love the fact that it’s a story about sacrificial love, about loving your neighbor, and about accepting a person with a different point of view.

Just the facts has its place in life, but speaking for myself, I can use a little heart these days. And, if I learn to care for someone who thinks differently, learn to agree to disagree and still love each other, well, that’s always a good thing too.

Blessings!

Photo credit J. B. Hatchett and B. J. Smith