How Reading Romance Novels Can Bring Us Closer To God
By Keelia Clarkson
Depending on the crowd, romance novels don’t always have the best reputation. Some see them as a genre to grow out of. Others see them as promoting unrealistic standards in relationships. And others see them as a waste of time, a story that probably won’t be very deep or meaningful. It’s true that not every romance novel was created equal, and there are romance novels out there I wouldn’t pick up or recommend. But painting an entire genre with such a broad brush is something we should think twice about, especially considering that romance is the highest-selling genre for books.
Maybe I’m just biased, given that my debut novel, Chapter One Again, is a cozy, second-chance romance story, but it’s my belief that the best romance novels don’t just entertain us with their swoon-worthy storylines, but can also bring us closer to God. Let me explain.
The butterflies we feel when two characters exchange a meaningful glance; the giddiness at the moment when they finally acknowledge their feelings for one another; the hope to have a story like that of our own to tell one day. I would guess that most of us have had this experience, whether we were reading a sweeping, romantic tale on the page, or watching one unfold on the screen. We love love. And to me, that’s a wonderful thing, not something to be ashamed of or shame others for.
I say this because love and romance were created by God. We were designed with that want deep in our soul for the love of another, with a desire to experience romance, to live out our own love story. Our taste for romance novels and movies is evidence of our being created to have this longing, and that longing is a good one.
And yet, as is the case with much of what we as humans want, that longing can lead us to places it was never intended to. It’s an unfortunate truth that depictions of destructive, unhealthy, or unrealistic romances are sold to us as true and good. But this doesn’t change the nature of love and romance as God made it, and it also doesn’t mean that we can’t engage with romantic stories — we just need to search for the ones that show us love as it was intended to be shown.
The best romance stories will paint a picture of love that is reminiscent of what we hear about in 1 Corinthians. They’ll portray love as deep, about more than mere physical interest or fireworks; as exciting and swoon-worthy without being toxic; as gentle and thoughtful in its actions; as validating of our inherent worth rather than leaving us questioning it; as steadfast and loyal, not fleeting or insecure. They will act as a reflection of God and, by illustrating his creation truthfully, will bring us closer to him as we interact with it. The best romance stories will make us love love more genuinely, and through loving something that he created, will cause us to love God more genuinely, too.
Buy Chapter One Again from the FamilyFiction Amazon Affiliate HERE!
