Every novel-loving reader probably knows John Grisham by now, acknowledged by many as the “master” of courtroom novel writings of the late 20th Century.
But perhaps, not everyone knows that before Grisham reached his current status, he also went through challenging moments as an aspiring novelist.
While working as a criminal defense lawyer in Southaven during the early 1980s, Grisham would wake up early to write–crafting his first novel “A Time to Kill” before heading off to work.
Grisham finished his first novel in 1987 and he offered it to several publishers to help him fulfill his dream. However, he was rejected by more than a dozen agents and publishing houses.
Eventually, Wynwood Press took the “risk” to publish Grisham’s very first novel, A Time To Kill for a modest 5,000 copies.
That should have been the end of his writing career, but a day before he finished writing A Time To Kill, Grisham had already been writing on a second novel about an aspiring lawyer, who was lured to join a seemingly perfect law firm that didn’t turn out as it was supposed to be.
When Grisham sold his second novel, The Firm’s rights, to Paramount Pictures for US$600,000, his name suddenly became a most sought-after writer among publishers.
His rise to fame among courtroom drama novel lovers started from there.
Sometimes, seeing one’s dream fulfilled may not be that easy. Like anybody else, discouragement is easy to come by especially if you get the kind of rejections Grisham experienced during his early years as a writer.
But making mistakes in life due to sin can be more discouraging and damaging.
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul had every reason to say “I’m undeserving of God’s goodness and mercy because of what I did…
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Well, the Bible says, he was a murderer who led Jewish “thugs” in their passionate desire to kill Christians. Paul’s famous victim was Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who died of stoning (see Acts 7:57-Acts 8: 1).
He also dragged off believers by putting them to prison (Acts 8:3).
With all these raging actions, he could have just refused God’s mercy and grace, but his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) became the turning point of his faith.
After receiving forgiveness from Jesus, he became a radical follower of Christ, proclaiming Christ’s Gospel to the Jews and non-Jews (called Gentiles).
God powerfully transformed this previous murderer-turned-Christ-follower, paving the way for Paul to write a huge portion of the New Testament.
If you’re in Christ, your past is like a chain that has been completely broken. You’ve been set free!
We don’t have to let our past serve as a deadweight that would drag our hopes down every time we remember them.
Galatians 2:20 says,20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In Christ, all things become new.