Remember the book and, yes, the movie, Jurassic Park? And remember the amber-trapped mosquito that spawned a whole new generation of the T-Rex, brachiosaur, and velociraptor? A theme park based on the glorious dinosaur age.

Terror anyone?

Far-fetched or not, we bought the premise that life could be recreated from the DNA of an ancient insect. It was an incredible idea.

Great fiction begins with a great idea. The what if? The free reign of imagination. The possibility of something fantastic finding a thread of plausibility.

What if we can bring prehistoric creatures to the modern world? Or is it possible to travel back in time going eighty-eight miles per hour in a DeLorean?

Story gives us the power to see beyond ourselves. The treasure of an amber gemstone is its beauty, even more when one is discovered with “the past” inside.

“Amber is like a time capsule made and placed in the earth by nature herself,” said David Federman, author of the Consumer Guide to Colored Gemstones. “It has helped paleontologists reconstruct life on earth in its primal phases. More than 1,000 extinct species of insects have been identified in amber.”

Isn’t “story” the amber time capsule of the human spirit? The retelling of history, of family lore; discovering values and themes, watching others fail or succeed and making note.

In my early twenties, I read a biblical fiction story called “Abraham, Friend of God.” The weaving of setting, character, and dialog into a novel brought a biblical hero to life. It sparked a desire in me to be a friend of God and has become a foundation of my spiritual journey.

Author Marlo Schalesky said, “Fiction lays bare the imperfections of my soul, stirs my doubts and questions, and drives me into the throne room of God.”

A well-crafted book with flawed characters can be one of the safest places to take a good long look at ourselves. Do we see in the characters attitudes and actions that reflect our own? Do we experience the same disastrous results?

A reader once wrote to me, “I just wanted to smack the heroine. She acted just like my sister, and I knew it wasn’t going to go well.”

A fictional story that struck a nerve.

The power of story gives us someone to identify with, to realize there is hope on the other side of despair.

“We all have secrets, too. Fiction allows us to explore our hidden selves through the mirror of well-drawn characters,” said author Susan May Warren. “We watch the characters struggle through obstacle after obstacle and then push through to overcome. We cheer for them. Applaud them. Find hope in them.”

Why does Francine River’s Redeeming Love continue to touch lives year after year? Because every woman longs to be loved, yet we understand rejection and failure all too well.

Is there a Hosea waiting to redeem us?

Readers can journey through a fictional story over and over until the truth resonates in their hearts.

Fiction is an art that broadens our understanding of others as well as God. Lisa Samon’s The Passion of Mary-Margaret challenges readers in the area of brotherly love and social justice. How will we respond when Jesus asks us to do the unthinkable?

Like the amber stone containing a piece of DNA that leads to understanding life, so is the fiction we read. It’s entertaining, yes, but a treasure, with hidden elements that help us discover life.