What Really Matters?Sample

Words Coming to Life

By the time she was five years old, Karen Kingsbury had memorized the bestselling children’s classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. Fast-forward a few decades, and she now has numerous bestselling books of her own with over 25 million copies in print. And while many authors would find topping the New York Times bestsellers list to be the pinnacle of personal success, Karen finds her sense of meaning in her relationship with Jesus.

Karen's goal is to point others to Christ, not to herself, and she brings biblical themes of grace, forgiveness, and love into every book she writes. In today’s interview, she shares about her favorite spiritual practices.

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Memorizing Scripture works very well for me. Sometimes, I have to write — or I get to write — late into the evening. Right now, I'm working on a couple of television series. I'm writing the screenplays for the first seasons of two different television series with Tyler, our oldest son. There are a lot of late nights. And you know what they say — don't be on your screen late at night because you won’t be able to fall asleep. So, the best spiritual practice for me is to cozy up with the Lord when I go to sleep and go over my memorized Scripture.

I never get to the end of the list — I'm asleep before I get through my list, but I just picture my Lord and Savior. He's many things, but he's the Prince of Peace and stands up for me. And as I memorize — and those words are coming to life again and again in my heart and Scripture is working in me, alive and active — I sense that presence of the Prince of Peace saying, “It's okay to let it all go. The day is over. Go to sleep.” I won't lie there, tossing and turning, which allows me to wake up and start over by being in His Word again.

—Karen Kingsbury, bestselling novelist, as told to Rapt Interviews