Reading Fantasy as an Act of Worship
Over the last year, my family has been in a very difficult season. We have faced serious health issues and unrelenting external relational conflict. It has been brutal and intense. We asked for none of it, yet it was the path we were given. I’d love to be the type of positive vibes Christian that tells you that despite the hardship, I learned so much about God and I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world, but I’d be lying if I said that. Frankly, I would trade this experience for an easier one in a heartbeat if given the chance. I’d much rather learn things about God through a textbook experience instead of a field trip.
I have despaired. I have lamented. I have even whined, frankly. I’m not the model Christian that will inspire people to make pretty social media image quotes. I’m probably a better example of how not to handle such situations. I have cried more than I’ve smiled. I have raged and railed at God. I have asked “why” more times than I can count. I have been numb most days and when I do feel something, it’s usually confusion, fear, or hopelessness.
You Want Me to Read What, Exactly?
As I was sharing it all with a friend one day, I was also telling her about the theological books I had read and the ones on my “to be read” list. She stopped me in my tracks and said “What you need in your life right now is some fiction.” She went on to advise me to take a break from reading all the academically challenging material that was my regular diet and instead read fiction to give my overworked mind and noisy soul a respite for a while. This was some of the best advice I’ve ever been given. She recommended again a particular fantasy book she’d been trying to convince me to read for a year. I had dismissed her book recommendation out of hand a year earlier because the fantasy genre had never appealed to me before, but out of desperation for some peace in my jumbled mind, I decided I had nothing to lose by giving fiction a chance. After all, if it was as terrible as I imagined it would be, I could just stop reading the book, right?
I’m so glad I listened to my very wise friend! I went on to read exclusively fantasy fiction for the next six months and it changed everything. After spending six months reading fantasy, I now get the appeal and I want to share with you why you should give fantasy a try, too—especially if you’re in the midst of a particularly difficult season.
Three Reasons to Read Fantasy Fiction When You’re Suffering
Fiction opens your imagination. Expanding my imagination has done wonders to improve my sense of hopelessness. Fantasy fiction takes imagination to the next level. There are nearly limitless creatures to visualize. Plus, the world-building that happens in fantasy stories reminds you that your world is so much more vast than your circumstances which presently feel overwhelming. Using your activated imagination to see the bigger picture helps you to think past your circumstances and can restore your hope.
The power of a good story brings excited anticipation. In hard seasons, words like ‘excitement’ are often foreign concepts. Sure, you have anticipation, but it usually feels more like dread than excitement. A good story gives you something enjoyable to look forward to when you feel like your real-world gives you nothing but disappointment.
The monsters in fantasy aren’t real. Fantasy fiction hosts some of the most terrifying creatures you’ll encounter, all described with intricate detail. If the author has done their job well, you will be completely horrified by the dastardly capacity possessed by the monsters. However, the monsters you encounter in fantasy are far less scary than your real-life horrors. In our human existence, we face truly terrible things like terminal illnesses, abusers, food insecurity, financial hardship, and a host of various predators. When compared to the very real monsters many of us face every day, fantasy monsters pale in comparison.
Worship Through Reading
I believe I serve an imaginative God. I believe he is creative, vivid, and detailed. I believe God has gifted certain people with the ability to paint our imaginations with just a hint of the splendor we will enjoy in the new heavens and earth. When that day comes, we will no longer see through a glass dimly, but will instead see with unveiled eyes. Fantasy fiction has nothing on the creativity of God. When that day comes, I won’t ever have to feel the tension of unanswered questions or the pain inflicted by the monsters here on earth. When God’s creative vision is fully realized by his beloved children, I will no longer require hope because hope will be realized and complete. What a day that will be! But until then, I will enjoy fantasy as a way to escape to a more creative, less frightening fictional world. And I will thank God for the good gift of fiction because every good and perfect gift comes from above. He gave this gift freely and I will receive it as an act of worship while I wait and hope expectantly for when he returns and sets all things right once more.
