Opening Lines

I’ve discovered you can tell a lot from the opening lines of a book. The opening is a promise of what’s to come. A promise of mystery, or romance, or intrigue.

Here are some first lines you might be familiar with. See if you can guess what they are. (Answers are at the bottom of the blog.)

#1 “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

#2 “All children, except one, grow up.”

#3 "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.”

#4 “Pet and Patty began to trot briskly, as if they were glad, too. Laura held tight to the wagon bow and stood up in the jolting wagon. Beyond Pa's shoulder and far across the waves of green grass she could see the trees, and they were not like any trees she had seen before. They were no taller than bushes.”

The reason that first lines are so important is because a writer is a creator. Books are designed. They don’t simply appear by chance. They have a purpose, whether it is simply to relay information, give instructions, or to take you on a journey of discovery.

Writers are creators. And our Creator was a writer. He used the pens of many men to achieve His desired communication with us.

God wanted to relay information. He also God wanted to give instructions. But more than that, God wanted to tell us a love story, which can also be considered a journey of discovery—a journey to Him.

You can call it a Divine Design, and hints of it can be seen in the opening line of God’s Good Book.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

This opening line tells us many things about God:
His power.
His greatness.
It tells us He had a plan.
He had a purpose.
He had good things in mind for us--concerning both heaven and earth, eternity and time.

But that’s not all. God not only gave us a great opening line in His word. He gave us the Word, Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

The story of Jesus being life for us--and the light of men--is the greatest story of them all. And because of Jesus, God can also create a beautiful story with each of our lives. In fact, deciding to make Jesus the Lord of your life can be the plot twist to turn your story from one of tragedy to victory!

Today, can be the opening line to your beautiful romance AND the start of a grand new adventure with God. All you have to do is have a heart eager to seek God and love Him. Then, as you prayerfully open your life up to His pen, God will write His Story through the moments of Your day—one pen stroke at a time. Through Him, with Him, your romance will flourish and the adventure of a lifetime will begin.

Answers:
#1 Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

#2 Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie

#3 Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

#4 Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder