Happy Monday, friends, and welcome to another episode of The Gospel According To, where we find the hidden Biblical truths in secular stories and songs. I listened to the audiobook version of Indigo Isle by T. I. Lowe a few weeks ago, and it was such a heartwarming read. Pleasantly surprised by the sudden appearance of Bible verses, I grew to love the way that the author wove Biblical truths into her secular story. Hope you enjoy!
Fandom: “I will search for my ost ones and bring them home… ” Ezekiel 34:15, quoted in Indigo Isle by T. I. Lowe
Verses: Ezekiel 34:15-16, Psalm 119:176, Luke 19:10, Matthew 18:12-14
Truth: God is always seeking those who have distanced themselves from Him, and He wants us home with Him more than anything.
The fandom – Indigo Isle by T. I. Lowe
I didn’t even realize this book was Christian until the equivalent of 100ish pages into it! And I mean that in the best way because I was enjoying the story and then Bible verses started popping in and it just added a whole other level to it. Especially the first time, the author did a good job of introducing a verse without it feeling too forced; it’s a natural part of the storyline. Overall, this book was a lot like a Hallmark movie in book form: not too complicated as far as the plot, but with a good message and a heartwarming happy ending to it.
I think the best part of Indigo Isle is the humanness of the characters. The fact that the walls take time to come down, both for the romantic relationship and for estranged family members was one of my favorite parts of this story. It did a really good job of showing that forgiveness and restoration can take time, years even, but that there is always hope for a happier future.
Since this is a Christian book and there are already some Bible verses in it, the process of finding more should be even smoother than usual!
The same themes present in the overtly “Christian” or God-honoring media are also present in “secular” stories and songs! Here’s an Imagine Dragons song that speaks to the idea of coming back to the Lord after a lifetime of mess-ups: Imagine Dragons – I Bet My Life.
The verses
“I Myself will feed My flock and I Myself will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will eliminate. I will feed them with judgment.
Ezekiel 34:15-16 NASB
These verses were written to the nation of Israel when they were suffering the consequences of breaking the Covenant. After generation after generation of unfaithfulness, God remained faithful. And not only that, but He promises to pursue them and bring them back. He does all the leg work required to restore relationship with His people, and all they have to do is receive it and walk in it.
I have wandered about like a lost sheep; search for Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.
Psalm 119:176 NASB
This verse speaks to a more personal, individual relationship with the Lord. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book of Psalms; the personal, individual relationship that is somewhat rare in the Old Testament. In this case, the writer/speaker confesses that he has gone astray, and asks the Lord to come find him and bring him back.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19:10 NASB
This statement from Jesus came right after He deliberately sought out Zacchaeus, an outcast who had spent his life living for personal gain and alienating his entire people group in the process. Kinda like Sunny, the FMC of Indigo Isle. And all it took for him to turn around was one person, accepting him and offering forgiveness. That’s the whole mission of Jesus when He was on earth, and now we get to be a part of that mission! Seeking the lost, and offering His gift of acceptance, forgiveness, and salvation.
“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one that is lost? And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray. So it is not [the] will of your Father who is in heaven for one of these little ones to perish.”
Matthew 18:12-14 NASB
The Gospel according to Indigo Isle
I believe that the Gospel message, or the steps of becoming a believer and receiving the gift of salvation, can be broken up into three parts:
- I am. Who is God? What is He like? Who are we, and why are we here? Is there more to life than just the time between our birth and our death?
- God is the Creator and Lord of everything that we know. He is light, He is absolutely perfect, and He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is also love, and He created each and every one of us to live in relationship with Him. We, on the other hand, are hard-wired to resist that relationship. Because of the rebellion of the first humans, our nature is to resist God’s rule, and we are therefore separated from Him. This separation is called sin. Our sin causes us to feel a void or emptiness that we try to fill with other relationships or pursuits (like pleasure or success), but that can only truly be filled with the relationship with God that we were meant to have. For more thoughts on this, check out this post.
- With you. How can I “fix” my sin problem and find joy, peace, and a relationship with God?
- There is only one way to restore the relationship that we were always meant to have with the God who created us, and that is Jesus. As we already discussed above, Jesus, the Son of God, came as a human to rescue and restore us while we were weak, helpless to fix ourselves. He showed the love of God for us by subjecting Himself to all of the indignities and suffering of the Cross, and died a criminal’s death, even though He had done no wrong. Because of His perfect sacrifice, Jesus was able to end the eternal separation between us and God, and now gives us the choice to receive His gift of salvation and eternal life. For more thoughts, see this post.
- Always. God shows His faithfulness and steadfast love for His people (originally Israel, now including all who believe in Him) throughout Scripture. He will always be with us, and gives us reminders of His presence and His truth through Holy Spirit, who inhabits every believer. Through Him, we have eternal forgiveness of sin, access to His throne room through prayer, and the ability to grow into the people we were always meant to be, free from the power of sin. After we die, we have the promise of Heaven, where we will see our Lord face to face and never have to suffer or be separated from Him again. For more thoughts, see this post.
I believe that this story speaks most clearly to the “with you” portion of the Gospel. When we were at our worst, Jesus came to restore our relationship with God the Father. His heart is for us to return to Him, and He’s already done all the leg work. Like Zacchaeus in Luke 19, or Sunny in Indigo Isle, we are all stuck pursuing the things that will never bring us true peace or satisfaction. Jesus offers us another way, one that brings harmony with God and confidence in every area of life. As believers, we have the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the seeking and saving work of the Lord: we seek out the lost in our lives, just as Jesus did, and allow Him to save them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Gospel According to post. What are your thoughts on Christian fiction? Have you read Indigo Isle? I’d love to know!
Happy fangirling!
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