Taken on my mama’s 90th birthday (Jan ’20)
See the gal in the picture on the right? We’ve been best friends since 6th grade.
See that cute little lady in the middle? That’s my mama. We celebrated her 90th birthday a couple of months ago.
Want to know what these two special ladies have in common? They’re the toughest women I know–and they’d do anything for those they love. I describe them as iron gates–ornate and lovely but impenetrable when their minds are made up. Growing up with these two taught me the value of persevering for the prize at the end of Manasseh’s story.
Judah’s Toughest King
“Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” 2 Kings 21:16
It’s hard to write an uplifting story about a king who fills the streets with innocent blood. My goal is NOT to publicize evil. However, tucked away in 2 Chronicles is a stunning testimony of God’s amazing grace.
“So the Lord brought against [Judah] the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” 2 Chronicles 33:11-13
The bookends of Manasseh’s prodigal story was my outline, and my goal was to fill the middle with enough believable hope that you, my readers, would keep reading the toughest–but most redemptive–story you may read this year!
A Mother’s Heart
Part of what made this story so difficult to write—and so difficult for moms to read—is the involvement of children (adolescents) in such evil activity. Many of my early readers (people who read before the manuscript went to my editor for the first time) said I’d written the scenes too well (LOL!), and they kept imagining their own children in these situations!
My reply? Welcome to the club. Throughout the writing process, I lived Zibah’s heart. I felt each loss, every fit of anger, and the strangling grip of fear. But I also felt the unbreakable thread of hope through it all—as I pray you will.
There is an unquenchable fire in Zibah and the other Yahwists (followers of Yahweh) in this book. It’s that same toughness I learned from my friend and mama while growing up. It’s that unyielding yet beautiful iron gate that stands firm—even when her child shows no sign of reform. It’s a mother’s heart.
Sin or Spectrum?
You may have seen in my social media posts that Isaiah’s Legacy presents King Manasseh’s fictional persona as high-functioning autistic (HFA). If you’ve read any of my other books, you know I wouldn’t make this decision without extensive research and much prayer. It was quite possibly the toughest decision I’ve made in my writing journey. Over the next few blog posts (3rd Mondays in May, June, and July), I’ll explain the Why, Where, and How I placed Manasseh on the spectrum.
For now, let me declare the central truth that guided plot, character, and front/back matter changes all the way through the last edit—literally until the day this book went to the printer.
It is essential to make the distinction that Manasseh DIDN’T SIN BECAUSE HE WAS AUTISTIC. Manasseh sinned because he—like the rest of humanity—made A CHOICE to do wrong though his heart knew what was right.
Tweet-Able
Today’s Questions:
- When you get into hard stuff in a book, what is it that makes you stop reading? What makes you KEEP reading through hard things?
