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Where to Find the Fruit of the Spirit in Romance

Carmen Peone • Oct 03, 2023

Today I welcome author Carmen Peone as she shares about finding the Fruit of the Spirit in romance.


This book is rated PG due to scenes depicting mild domestic violence.


Romance isn’t just about love and happy endings.


If you look close enough while reading a clean or Christian romance book, you’ll find love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You probably recognize these as the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5: 22-23.


So where can you find them in a romance book?


You can find love (showing affection for others) in the hero and heroine’s family and friends by the way they treat one another, and by the end, in each other. You can also find love with the characters and their animals. Who doesn’t love cats and dogs, chickens and rabbits? And horses and newborn calves?


This can be in the form of a hug or a pat on the back.


Okay, that was easy. What about joy? Isn’t there tension and obstacles in romance stories?


Yes, in every book there needs to be some kind of tension, even if it’s micro. Joy (exuberance about life) can be found in a career, on a ranch, in a small-town coffee shop, at Christmas, or any other holiday the story is centered around. It can also be found in the character’s relationship with God.


Watch for characters who smile, hum, sing, wave, hold hands, and encourage others.


Peace (serenity) turns multiple corners when the hero or heroine gives control over to God. That journey ambles throughout the pages and makes a grand finale at the end when happily ever after reigns.


Characters with peace normally are level-headed, consistent, positive, and are following God.


Are you still with me? I hope so.


Patience (a willingness to stick with things/people) can be found in any relationship where love abounds. I believe God is pretty patient with us, our writing, our books, and our characters. The author’s patience can also spread to their characters in many creative ways.


Have you seen the characters who are quiet and encouraging? They may even talk softly. Their movements might be controlled and calm. That’s endurance.


Kindness (a sense of compassion in the heart) comes and goes, depending on where emotions fall and the characters’ willingness to change. Trust me, when God gets ahold of characters that runs amuck, He moves mountains to bring them back. That’s kindness (and grace) all wrapped up in a pretty bow.


Have you seen a hero who helps an old woman cross the street? Or maybe he gives the heroine a leg up to the saddle. Or the heroine who saves food for the poor. Kindness comes in many forms and is easy to spot.


For a reader to keep turning pages, characters have to exude goodness (a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people), unless they are the villain, of course. Even villains have to have a “pet the dog” moment to show they are 3-dimensional characters.


What about the character who looks for the good in others? Or the secondary character who is the truth-teller for the main character? There’s always at least one character who goes around and uplifts others. It might even be the main characters.


Then there’s faithfulness (loyal commitments). While our characters make mistakes, some very big mistakes, (and there is room for forgiveness) their love must be faithful. If it isn’t in the beginning, by the end, it’s a promise.


Commitments can be with the love interest, family, and friends.


Gentleness (not forcing oneself on others) is tricky. Yes, there are times of tension. It’s what keeps the reader glued to the pages. But characters who are gentle show freedom and respect, and tend to release their problems and worries to God.  


The heart of clean and Christian romance is self-control (marshal and direct energy wisely). You won’t see bedroom scenes or sex before marriage because we honor Biblical principles as Christian writers. We write to love, not lust, which stems from self-control.


When did you last see characters who paused to think and did not react or respond to sexual tension or violence? I’m not addressing the actions of villains. Have you seen characters who trust God and release their intimate desires to God because they want to honor Him?


The best part is this: Against such things (the fruit of the spirit) there is no law!


Think about the last Christian or clean romance book you read. Do you see the fruit of the spirit woven among its pages? I’d love to hear about what you see between the pages.


About A Road Trip to Redemption -- the Kindle eBook is on sale for .99 cents from October 2-9!

Rita Runninghorse is about to marry the wrong guy. She has to get away from him. Now. She flees to a guest ranch in Eastern Washington State that offers a safe haven for women in need only to find the owner on a month-long speaking tour.


Robert Elliot has one thing on his mind: bronc riding. The Indian National Finals Rodeo is within reach, and he’s not about to let anything ruin his chances of going pro. Not even the woman he finds asleep in the stall of their rankest horse.


When Rita’s fiancé discovers where she’s hiding out, she takes Robert’s offer to go with him on the road and prays her fiancé gives up the hunt. Saddled together, Rita and Robert must rely on each other as they go on the road to keep her alive.


Broken Bondage Book #2, Seven Tine Ranch Romance

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