The Story of Our Lives

Do you believe our lives are stories?

This idea, that our individual lives are dramatic, important stories, each within a larger Story that means something, is somewhat foreign to me. I feel like I live day-to-day, without the perspective that believes all the moments, experiences and situations are all part of a story worth listening to and retelling. The idea that I have an important part to play in the grand Story of history, what I do believe is God's story, is shocking, almost too good to believe. It adds so much dignity and worth, to every moment, to believe that you and I are the characters in the midst of a drama, where choices we make start us down the path towards becoming a hero or becoming a villain. Don Miller's new book talks about this idea of being a part of a story. John Eldridge talks about it in the daily email newsletter he and the Ransomed Heart team send out. It keeps cropping up in conversations.

We connect so deeply when a movie has a good plot. A good story to it. And yet, we're slow to make any kind of connection that maybe we get that perception and appreciation for a good story from the Great Story-teller. That analogy probably breaks down in places, as all do, but it's a sobering, exciting and empowering thought:

God is telling a grand Story and you have a part to play in it that matters.

You are part of a Story in which you play a critical role. God is doing something amazing and redemptive in all of creation, and what we do with our experiences matters. Our character is being shaped and molded, just like in our favorite books, by the things we experience. Will we choose evil and revenge and be consumed? Will we display inner strength and suffer for the sake of goodness? Will we pursue a life that is worth retelling? Will we weigh the worth of a day, in all its ups and downs, and choose to make the most of each one?

I realize some could run with this and/or criticize this idea, claiming it's much too self-esteem oriented, too self-focused. While that may indeed be a danger for some, but for most of us, I think we're too used to believing that our lives aren't that important.

May we choose to rise above the urgent to-do items and consider what kind of life we're living and make it a story worth retelling.