We, the human race, are a people that love stories. From childhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age, stories consume our lives. A few moments ago, I was sitting with my niece as she listened to and watched a story be played out on an I-pad. Fascinated, she couldn't take her eyes off the screen and eagerly asked for another story once the previous one had finished. My niece is only three. The prevalence of children's books, in addition to many movies and TV shows, indicate how stories are a major part of a child's life. For adolescents and young adults, the longing for stories is satisfied in books, but especially in movies and TV shows. The happiness in telling their own stories is fulfilled in many ways, such as status updates on Facebook, blogging, photography, texting, writing poetry, and making music. I assume that this continues onto adulthood, though I have not studied adults as much. Those in the category of old age probably find fulfillment in some of the areas mentioned above, though TV, movies, and books are probably most popular. The elderly also love to tell stories; stories from when they were children, stories from growing up, stories of encouragement, and stories of warning.
Stories obviously are an incredible part of every person's life, but why? I remember in the past year hearing an explanation of this either from a book or a lecturer. We love stories because we are involved in the greatest story of all time. God created the characters-all human beings-, the setting-earth-, and the plot-creation, the fall of humans, redemption, and restoration. He created each of us to play a part in the greatest play ever written. What a great privilege!
My question then, is how are you playing your part in this story? Are you following the script you've been given, the Bible? Are you acting in accordance with what the director desires? Or are you ignoring his voice as he directs you to where you belong on the stage? In Crazy Love, Francis Chan talks about how life is like a movie, but instead of you or me being the main character as we constantly think, God is the main character. Are you living your life in such a way that God is the main actor, the most important part of the movie, the star, the one whom everyone loves? Or are you living as though you are the main actor who gets all the credit, who should get all the attention and affection, who deserves all happiness?
The most recent book I have been reading, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years( by Donald Miller), discusses this idea in a different way. The book's emphasis is that your life is a story, and the author proceeds to tell about how boring and pointless his story was and how he changed that. I love how Miller explains what a story is. To sum it up, a good story should be one that involves conflict, overcoming fear, taking risks, loving, and enjoying the beauty God has given us. A good story is also one that should affect others in a positive way, one that changes lives for good. Every day is like another page that God writes according to how we act out the story. Each day brings us closer to the ending of the story. What's your story like? Is it impacting the lives around you, or is it focused inwardly? Is your story a story of sacrifice or a story of selfishness? Does your story involve risk taking or is it consumed in fear?
I urge you to live an amazing story, one that God would read again and again, like we do with a good story. Be courageous; love; act sacrificially; be humble; serve. Act just as all the heroes in the best movies act. As a character in the greatest story ever written, act your part as though the greatest play writer in the world were watching every move you made, because He is.
