Writer, Where Have You Come from and Where are You Going?

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

And He said…Hagar, where did you come from and where are you intending to go? And she said, I am running away from my mistress Sarai (Genesis 16:8).

Her eyes shone like the chocolate gravy I learned to make from my grandmother, sweet and rich. In her hand she gripped a worn piece of paper, reverently folded inside a plastic protector.

Here’s my story. 

Behind her, the line of story carriers stretched long and winding. Each one held a sacred piece of paper, sunlight flickering off the plastic like a string of blinking Christmas lights disappearing around the corner of the dusty brick building.

Refugees hoping for passage to another country must carry their stories with them. At each stop along the way, the same question is asked. 

Where did you come from and where are you intending to go?

I am running away from the war that killed my family.

I am running away from unemployment.

I am running away from hunger.

I am running away from persecution.

I am running to a better life.

The story they carry is the key from Here to There. Some tell fictional tales worthy of a New York Times bestseller. Others tell stories so true the reader is rendered speechless. Many have never had a voice before now and the mere telling of the story itself is healing.

In today’s Bible quote, God is talking to an Egyptian woman named Hagar. Hagar was a refugee. Her very name means “to flee.” 

Refugees have a tale to tell us, writers. No matter where our Here or There, we must all answer the same question at some point.

Where have you come from and where are you intending to go?

The one who stands on the threshold of Writer, still unsure if she’s worthy of the title, must answer. The one who has written in private for too long, his words brimming over, demanding to be shared, must answer the question. The famous one, the one unknown, the experienced one, and the dreamer, all must answer the question. It is the key to moving from Here to There.

Where have you come from today, writer? Where are you intending to go?

The One who asks you is no imperfect human, tasked with the grueling responsibility of judging whether your story is worthy of passage. Oh no, the One who asks you is the Lord, the Author and Finisher of all our stories, the One who knows the end from the beginning. He will help you answer the question, for He has good plans for you. And as Hagar would declare only moments after, “You are the God who sees me!” (See Genesis 16:13.)

Won’t you take a moment with Him today to think on this?

Lord, You know where I have come from and where I want to go. Show me the way. Amen.

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Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.

Audrey is the author of Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World (Harvest House Publishers), an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, Covered Glory illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Available at favorite booksellers: BARNES & NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, AMAZON.