The Story of Life

All of human history is a stage.  And on that stage a story is being told.  I think we tend to think of the bible as being a collection of stories about different people from which we derive principals and morals.  And I guess, on some level that’s true, the bible does have a lot to say about a lot of different things.  But at it’s core, it is telling just one story.     It is the story of God, and His passionate pursuit to restore all that was lost in the garden of Eden.  This is the grand narrative that has been unraveling ever since time began. And this drama of redemption isn’t just one of many storylines that you’ll find in the bible. It is the story.  And the sooner we get that, the better off we’ll all be.

Now, this whole concept of life being like a story or a movie or a play is something that I think we can all track with.  It’s something that I think even appeals to us.  We like to think of life as a grand stage upon which the story of our lives is being played out.  But the part that we struggle with is the part about the movie being about somebody else.  That part bothers us.  You see, in the movie of life, we like to think of ourselves as the main characters.  We like to think of ourselves as the stars of the show.  We like to think that we are at the center, and that the rest of the world just kind of spins around us.  I guess it makes sense right.  We’re the only people who show up in every scene of the movie of our life.  Others come in and play bit parts or minor roles.  But we are the stars in the show about us.  But here’s the problem with living life like that. It doesn’t work. The more we try to put ourselves at the center of life’s purpose the less fulfilled we become.

So here's my thought.  What if we took ourselves out of the spotlight, if only for a moment, in order that we might see the beauty, and wonder, and splendor of this great story that God is writing.  If we could do that, I think we'd have to start thinking in a whole different way.  It would cause us to ask a whole new set of questions about life and God.  Like, we'd start thinking in terms of, what is my role in this grand story that is unfolding and how can I fit my life into that role?  And here’s why this is so important.  Only as we begin to live life from this vantage point will we find ourselves being fulfilled.  Only then will we be able to enjoy life.  Because that’s the way God has scripted it. 

--Daniel