It’s worth noting that God gave each of us a story. In fact, He gave each one of us a blockbuster. Best of all, He did not give us the same story. He varied the plot lines, changed the characters, and structured our tales with twists and turns we might never have imagined possible. After all, He’s a great storyteller.
So, what motivates Him to give us such diverse stories? According to the Psalms, God has always known us. In fact, He knew us before we were knit together in our mother’s womb. He knows the good, bad, and ugly of us. He’s equipped us to be more than we might imagine we could be. He did it all, so we’d share His stories with others and live in joy.
God can sometimes feel like a mystery writer. We don’t always understand what He is doing when our own plans fall through, or our lives take a downward spiral. That’s where prayer comes in. That’s where we learn to acknowledge Him and appreciate the effort He makes to give us a fulfilling life. With appreciation comes love, and with love comes the desire to talk about Him, the same way we talk about our friends and family. He knows when we tell His stories, those who don’t yet know He’s there, have a better chance of discovering Him.
Your story may be very different from mine, but we have a lot of common plot lines. No matter who we are or what we do for a living, we fall short of the glory of God. We fall flat on our faces when it comes to sin and loving our neighbors, and we need God’s guidance and faithfulness.
Some of us try to write God out of our story. We imagine we’re too intelligent to believe in a supernatural being. Others of us are too angry to tell God’s story because we don’t like the way our lives are unfolding. Even though God often encourages us to write a new chapter, we get stuck in our old story.
The good news is we can change, and we do change. We can be the hero of our own tale and create a redeemed backstory. We can acknowledge the ways we’ve disappointed God and be grateful for the important part He’s given us to play. With time, we will enjoy each chapter of our lives a little bit more. Happily, we don’t have to read ahead to find out the ending. We don’t have to be perfect to be loved and forgiven. We don’t have to be anything more than what God designed us to be. He’s already given us a blockbuster, brilliant story to tell.
God has some amazing things to add to your story today. Have fun sharing your tale.