The Law Is Good

What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. (Romans 7:7-13)

          Two-and-a-half years ago, I started working on my story about Zheann. When I put out the first chapter for critique, I thought my fellow guilt members would critique it. The mentor of my writer’s guild looked at it, and trashed it. Everything but the last page had to go and the last page needed to be rewritten. I felt like the woman in the shower scene from Psycho. Some people would say that I should ignore “Mr. Bates” but he’s written more than one hundred books, so he has a clue about the rules publishers and readers impose on writers. As I write, I feel the temptation to do precisely what is against the laws that he gave. I’m tempted to say, “It’s different for me because I’m writing a different genre.” I look for reasons I should be exempted from those laws.
         I can’t say that the writing laws are all good the way God’s laws are. I think some writing laws are hoops the publishers invent to make their job easier. Some laws are descriptive of the whims of readers, and I wonder how long it will be before half of a book consists of emojis. When I consider God’s laws, I don’t find the whimsy or arbitrariness of the writing laws, but I have the same reaction to them.
         I don’t want to obey.
         I do want that.
         I will do that.
         The law reveals the million ways each day that I fail to love, choose not to love, reject love, and sometimes even hate. Without the law, I would still to love, choose not to love, reject love, and sometimes even hate, but it wouldn’t be as obvious to me. The law is good even though it brings out what isn’t good in us.