Tracey Marley

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the Chapter Chicks book club in Greensboro, NC. It was my first appearance at a book club and I was really surprised at how much fun it was. I got to meet some really nice women and answer some really good questions. It was interesting to hear their feedback, especially regarding the characters. When I left, I was graciously presented with a gorgeous bouquet of roses; more than I’ve ever received before. There had to be at least 18 and they were so beautiful, they almost looked too good to be true.

Once I got home, I showed them off to my husband and then prominently displayed them on my bedroom dresser. As the days passed, the roses went from slightly open buds to full open flowers then continued to age until they were starting to droop. Whatever stage they were in, I found that the longer they stayed on the dresser the more I was drawn to their presence. It wasn’t so much for their beauty, but more so because of what they represented. To me the roses represented a group of women who had bestowed on me the blessing of fulfillment. They were lives that I had somehow touched because God gifted me with a story and they were willing to read it.

I thought about that as one day I stopped to study what was quickly becoming a withered mass. I pulled open a rose to gently finger its petals. I was surprised to find that although fine lines and rust had appeared along the edges making them appear like skin, the part closer to the base was still a bright silky red and was smooth like silk. Somehow the variation made them even more interesting because to me, because of what they represented, they were still beautiful.

Eventually the roses had to go. I selected a few petals to dry as a keepsake but I can’t really say they are forgotten. It wasn’t until just this week that I made a connection to what I had marveled at with their aging to some of the things the women had brought up during conversation the night I was at their club. We talked in detail about the characters, the situations they were in and what the ladies liked and disliked about each one. Naturally Bret was a favorite. I can still hear the collective sigh that drifted from the group when his name was mentioned. He truly is too good to be true. In hearing others examine him, I realize the building of who he is didn’t come with just one or two personality traits.

The fact that Bret is extremely handsome, drives an expensive car, and is lavish in his gifts makes him very likeable on the surface, but it doesn’t make up the inner qualities I like best in him. It’s his heart and how it branches out into not only his thoughts but also his actions. The response he has to Scott when Scott asks him to pray, the way he is concerned about winning Holly’s favor. Even the jealousy he feels when he feels like Chris is encroaching on his relationship with Karen. It’s the small things that make him feel real. Just like the lines in the roses, the details in his character became more pronounced as the story unfolded and it lent him a certain depth.

I don’t think this is true for only Bret, but for all the characters. It was a real study in human nature to write them so complex. I am thrilled that my readers picked up on some of the finer details—some good, some bad—that were subtly written into the characters. I love it when readers are specific.

I smile as I consider how real people are much the same. The trials and test we endure may give us a few imperfections that others will stop and stare at instead of admire. Nevertheless, ultimately it’s those trials and time that will draw out the details and fine lines in who we are.

So, my question to you and to myself is are your lines showing? Do the people you encounter see only the perfection you want them to see or do you let them see deeper? Or, do we miss the beauty in others and what can be found in difficult situations simply because we can’t see past the lines on the surface and down to the heart of a matter where things are still rather silky and smooth? Today I am making it a priority to stop and admire the roses God has planted in my life. I hope you will too.

“…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV