‘The most famous story in the world’ by Nicki Copeland

On my way to the ACW Writers’ Day last Saturday (which was reeeaallly good, by the way), I saw an advert in a tube station for a West End show, describing it as ‘the most famous love story of all time’. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it was referring to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and the show is called & Juliet.

Now, I haven’t seen the show, and I don’t really know anything about it, but it did make me stop and question: is a Shakespeare play really ‘the most famous love story of all time’?

Shakespeare’s works are, quite rightly, well known and loved. The Bard knew just how to blend all the right ingredients: a splash of romance, a hint of intrigue, a spoonful of mystery, a bowlful of conflict, a bunch of births and deaths, a good dollop of comedy, a handful of tragedy… His works have stood the test of time and are performed in many languages all over the world. Apparently, there was even a Bollywood version of Twelfth Night as part of the World Shakespeare festival a few years ago.[1] Sounds intriguing…

But there is, of course, a much greater love story that has been going on since the beginning of time. To my mind, this should be much better known than a fictional play, however masterfully executed that play might be.

This story contains a number of similar ingredients to Shakespeare’s works: plenty of romance, numerous conflicts, deaths and births (the earthly and the heavenly kind), mystery, intrigue, and even comedy. And, sadly, there’s way too much tragedy.

This is a true story, and it’s still being performed. And while we might each face our own mix of all the ingredients in this lifetime, unlike the aforementioned play, we know that this story will have a gloriously happy ending. It’s the best story in the world, and it needs to be shared.

Many of us are able to share this incredible story through our writing – and we’re privileged that we are able to do so openly and (usually) without fear of retribution or persecution. There are so many ways to share this wonderful love story, whether we write for the Christian or the secular market. And if we aren’t able to share it overtly, it’s always there, hovering in the background. It’s part of who we are, so inevitably it will be there somewhere, evoking questions, raising issues, prompting a search for truth. Or even just in the way we engage with people every day, through our emails, phone calls, day-to-day conversations with colleagues, family and friends – it helps us conduct ourselves with integrity, love and compassion.

This is the best story in the whole world, and it’s still being written. My prayer is that, as I play my part, the world will recognise the unconditional, forgiving, wonderful love of Jesus, and will participate for themselves.

Nicki Copeland is a freelance writer, speaker, copy editor and proofreader – and loves anything to do with words. She is the author of Losing the Fig Leaf and Less than Ordinary? She has recently taken over the day-to-day running of Instant Apostle publishers. When she has the luxury of some free time, she can invariably be found with a book in one hand and some chocolate in the other.

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[1] https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/apr/20/world-shakespeare-festival-globe-theatre-rsc