Author Callie J. Smith discusses facing unknowns, what she’s giving up for Lent, and her new novel Kat’s Dreams (free as Kindle ebook Feb. 21-22, 2023 only)
Video Transcript:
“Befriending the Unknown”
This year for Lent I’m working on giving up my fear of the unknown, which is hard because I’m such a planner. I like to think five steps ahead, but given all the unknowns in life, giving up that fear is valuable. It’s valuable, and it’s one of those efforts that will take me way longer than the 40 days of Lent, which is sort of the point. In the Bible, the number 40 represented a lot. Forty days or 40 years represented a long time.
That’s one reason I set my novel Kat’s Dreams during the season of Lent. The main character Kat is trying to put some things behind her. She’s been trying to do that for a couple of years, and she’s still struggling with it, which is okay. Some of the most important things take time, and the thing about those kinds of journeys is that they aren’t primarily about that bad thing we’re wrestling with. The bad thing is real. Sin is real. The character Kat faced an experience of sexual harassment that was very real, and as she figures out what to do with that, she’s not sure what any of her options will mean for the future. But those unknowns and that sin aren’t the most important parts of the story. The most important parts are God, and hope, and living with hope in what God is doing even when we can’t see it.
That’s the challenge: to befriend the unknown and assume that God is making a way forward, a way of blessing, even if we can’t see more than a step ahead. It goes back to my Lenten challenge. I want to assume the unknown spaces in life are full of promise and not things I need to worry about. I want to look at the unknown and see promise. What about you? What do you see when you look at the unknowns?
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Callie J. Smith 
Hi Callie,
I enjoy reading your blog posts, especially this one. We’ve been dealing with a lot of unknowns over here, especially regarding how to help our kids regulate their emotions. It gets very intense at times and is hard. International adoption is hard. They bring us so much joy but also many challenges. Lots of unknowns, and now their counselor is taking a different job, so there’s that unknown. They need someone who “gets” international adoption, trauma, etc. So my challenge is to pray– Pray for our kids, pray for our unknown counselor, pray for all the unknowns about how to handle their behavior and how to also celebrate their successes. I’m still enjoying Kat’s Dreams. I could read it all in a day if I had a day to work with! So much grading and planning is eating up so much of my free reading time! I had some today, though, as I was waiting at the doctor’s office for a routine appointment. 🙂
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Jenn, I’m so sorry about these challenges. Facing unknowns is hard enough, but how much more when those unknowns involve loved ones so deeply. I’m glad you had that waiting room pause yesterday (and am so honored by how you spent it!). I’ll be praying for you and your family and for those unknowns, too. May you find comfort as you’re waiting and watching. Bless you, my friend!
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Thank you, Callie! That means a lot to me.
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