God’s Inspiration and The Butterfly Effect

By Darlene Corbett @darlenecorbett.com

Remember the Butterfly Effect?

For those who forgot or are unfamiliar with its origins, here’s a quick reprisal: In 1963, the scientist Edward Lorenz proposed a startling idea. He suggested that the slight movements of a butterfly’s wings could create tiny changes in the atmosphere, causing a greater impact later. Many scientists viewed this as outlandish, but soon, a group of physicists agreed with Dr. Lorenz’s proposal.

Yet, skeptics abounded.

To this day, who knows the accuracy of the hypothesis?

But as a metaphor, writers understand its potency. A whisper, glance, touch, inhale, or taste. What inspiration might develop from such passing experiences?

I’ve addressed this phenomenon throughout my career as a therapist, writer, and speaker. To me, God sends signs via our five senses, but it’s up to us how to receive and embrace them.

Although I’ve been writing since 2011, my book and past articles centered on helping people get unstuck. Some of the material revealed sprinklings of faith, but until the summer of 2022, my writing trajectory remained ensconced in the secular world. I began my novel and became involved in searching for books and courses on the craft of creative writing. My desire? To transform my ugly duckling manuscript into a beautiful swan-like creation, at least a pretty one.

A lofty goal? Yes, but the idea of surrendering for any reason never crossed my mind, no matter how many scrapes and bruises I’d receive along the rough terrain. Without grit and endurance, I knew success would remain a mirage. Hence, the honing of skills would become a lifelong journey without a destination.

Along this topsy-turvy path, I read Cheryl St. John’s book on writing. I skimmed the author page and discovered that she presented at the American Christian Fiction Writers’ conference.

What? An organization devoted to faith-based fiction writers existed?

I clicked on the website and became exposed to another world. Why didn’t I detect this sooner?

Who knows? But at that moment, God’s mighty hand navigated mine.

After exploring the garden of treats the ACFW community offered, I registered for the 2022 conference. As I settled into events taking place over four days, I devoured any morsel of information I could ingest.

Wonderful people came into my path, including Tracey Lyons, now a friend, who shared with me about the Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers.

I did it again and joined another fabulous community of like-minded individuals.

Since that time, I’ve taken part in many workshops. But in April, something pivotal came on the horizon. I registered for ACFW-DFW’s mini-conference, and unknown to me, I would meet the publisher, WordCrafts Press, of my first novel. In July, I signed a contract for Visible Forever, a women’s fiction book, coming out in the spring of 2024.

The Butterfly Effect fluttered in full force.

If I hadn’t turned to Cheryl St. John’s author’s page, I wouldn’t have discovered ACFW. Without attending the conference, I would have missed encountering a most amazing and gifted tribe. If I hadn’t involved myself in these activities, my publisher and book would not have crossed.

This series of events couldn’t have occurred without God’s inspiration. Little did I imagine in the

early summer of 2022 that God’s hand would guide mine to turn the page in a book and click to a website that led me to my writing home.

Speaking of butterflies and their effect, yesterday, I spotted a single Monarch for the first time this summer. While making the arduous journey to Mexico, she popped into our wild garden, allowing me to view her majesty.

May God guide her as she heads for her last voyage.

And what about us?

Like the Monarch, how might God lead us to our next inspiration, effecting change or being influenced in ways unimaginable right now? Consider those glorious flapping wings. Did that fleeting opportunity inspire me?

It did, and I can’t wait for more.

Darlene Corbett loves serving her clients, which she has been doing much of her adult life. In 2011, she began writing and never stopped. Now she devotes her attention to writing books and plans on reincarnating her newsletter through Substack. Every day, she thanks God for inspiring her in this Golden Chapter of her life.