What’s the story?
I love a good story, whether it comes from a book, a movie, or Lake Wobegon. It doesn’t even have to be true, just good. But true AND good is a nice extra.
Stories stick with us. “Episodic memory”, they call it. Next time you have to remember a list of things try making up a story about them. See how much easier they are to remember. If you set out to create the world’s best story builder and story “rememberer”, you’d probably be headed toward creating the human brain. Imagine that! We have a built-in Story Processor enclosed in a shock resistant, water proof, case. Maybe stories are that important.
You remember that book you finished reading a while back, the novel you thought was really good? I bet there were times in the middle of the story when things were getting complicated. The characters were in peril. The outcome was in question. Wasn’t it reassuring to feel the pile of unread pages in your right hand? The story’s not over. This isn’t where it ends. There’s still time.
But that other book… from a few months ago… that just ended so abruptly, so badly. It made you kinda’ mad didn’t it. How could it leave me hanging like that?
Because our brain is so enamored with stories, we can’t help but always be taking stock of where we are in the story. How did I get here? How will this end? How does this make sense?
We find ourselves at that part of the story where things are really complicated and we are, or someone we care about is, the character in peril. Can you feel the anxiety? How terrible if there don’t seem to be any pages left, if THIS is the story. It helps if we can allow the time horizon of the story to expand beyond now or the immediate future. Some stories are not contained in my day or (gasp) even my life time. Some stories are multigenerational or even longer. I think the best story being told is very long. And it is a good story, by a great author. But like so many good stories, it has some parts that are so bad, you even hesitate to read them. But it’s not the last chapter yet. For the Christian it is never really the time to say, “This is the last chapter. This is how it ends.”
I’m indebted to Jeff Manion, the teaching pastor at Ada Bible Church, for repeatedly reminding me that God is telling a good story, but a story with some truly bad parts. Because, I love a good story.
David Hamilton
It seems everything I’ve read this week has a reoccurring message: wait; be patient; do not be discouraged; trust God’s timing; know that God is in control; don’t grow weary. This article drives home the theme by reminding me that no matter what chapter of my life story I am in I need to see my story as “to be continued…” As a Christian, I know my story does not end in this world, and that my life in this world will include as many chapters as the author sees fit to write for me (good and bad) in order to teach me. It is difficult to not grow weary when a bad chapter seems to drag on and on though. You reminded me of the story of Ruth when you said ” Some stories are not contained in my day or (gasp) even my life time. Some stories are multgenerational or even longer.” Deuteronomy 23:3 says “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation.” Then, in the tenth generation, David was born. A ten generation story? Yikes!
I know that I don’t weather the storms of this life perfectly, but I have a perfect redeemer who has gone before me to plead my case. During those chapters of my story when I find myself “in peril” I look to these Psalms for renewal: Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait fort he Lord.” Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Thanks for the example of a ten generation story.
God is telling a good story, but a story with some truly bad parts. I love that explanation. How true it is. Sometimes (well, ok, almost ALL of the time) I’m so hard on myself and questioning my choices, “How did I get on this particular road? This is exactly the road I said I would never travel. (never say never) What was I thinking!?”
An awesome friend of mine has told me over and over again that I’m not the only one who’s gone down this road before. And that maybe this whole experience isn’t really about me, but about my kids or grandkids. He’s right, as usual! It’s so easy to cry and stomp your feet when something bad happens and ask “Why?” It’s during those times that I’ve grown and matured the most.
When my friend’s business burned down, he was upset, but with the insurance money he was able to build a bigger (and better) building. When my sister smashed her car, she got a brand new one. And when my girlfriend got a divorce, she met and married a fantastic guy. And she was so convinced she would NEVER marry again!
I have (as we all do) lots of decisions to make. It’s all part of the story. I keep a memorandum posted that I took from a book I recently read. It goes like this: THE JUMP IS SO FRIGHTENING BETWEEN WHERE I AM AND WHERE I WANT TO BE, BECAUSE OF ALL I MAY BECOME I WILL CLOSE MY EYES AND LEAP! If you’re a person who doesn’t have support or somebody to gently push you to do the things you need to do, then you may have to close your eyes and leap. Maybe scary, but pretty exciting too.
So for anybody who seems to feel “stuck” in the bad chapters of their life, please don’t give up, there’s a new chapter coming.
Happy Mother’s Day!
It’s amazing how much we think we know about where this act or scene is going. But the story unfolds anyway. (we say a story is bad it it’s too predictable, right?)
Yes, being a part of a larger story is a great source of meaning.
Who was it that said that there are no small roles only small actors?