Sunday Devotion- Show-Don't-Tell

Janet Rubin

I check my email and see I’ve gotten a critique from one of my crit partners. I take a deep breath and open it. As I scroll down, reading the comments, my heart rate increases and I frown.

Show, don’t tell… show, don’t tell… show, don’t tell…

I’ve heard this advice until I can hardly stand it. If you’ve been working on honing your craft, you know what I’m talking about.

Kicking the adverb habit wasn’t so hard. Learning not to abuse exclamation points was simple. I no longer use too many speaker attributes, and I’m much better about back-story than I used to be. But maaaaaan! This show-don’t-tell thing is hard.

But alas, all those editors and crit partners and how-to authors are right; showing is far more effective than telling. Learning to write in this way is worth the effort. And as readers, we appreciate authors who have mastered the skill. We don't want to just read that a character "feels scared." We want to see him tremble, feel his pounding heartbeat, watch him back away from the villain, pleading for mercy... we want to be scared for him.

It isn’t only in writing that the show-don’t-tell principle holds true. God is all for us using show-don’t-tell in our lives. God is a show-don’t-tell kind of God. He didn’t just tell us he loved us, rather, “God demonstrates [shows] His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us.” (Romans 5:8) And He didn’t just tell us how to live; He sent Jesus to show us what love, compassion, and obedience look like.

God isn’t impressed with our talk and other people won’t be either. Here is some show-don’t-tell advice from the Bible:

James 2:14-16 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”

Matthew 21:28-32 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble”

And what about love? A reading of 1 Corinthians tells us that love is far more than saying the phrase, “I love you.” Love must be shown through patience, kindness, faithfulness, forgiveness…

Just as in my writing, I have a lot of work to do in the show-don’t-tell part of my life. Do I show my friends and neighbors the love of Jesus, or do they just see fish emblems on my mini-van? Do I show my children how to be gentle and patient? Do I demonstrate my love for my husband through daily acts of kindness?

Oh Lord, Thank You for your Word, which teaches us how to show our faith and love in this dark world. Thank You for Jesus, who came and gave us an example of how to live a life of “showing” rather than just “telling.” God, search me and know me. Edit the parts of my life that need less talk and more action. Help me to serve You today. Amen