Garden_at_night
I admit it. I wasn’t going to write much today.
Then I went to church this morning and my outlook changed just a little. At least as far as this particular blog post is concerned.
Thinking about stories
This morning the pastor at the church I’ve been attending the last few weeks, talked about the “story of the Bible.” How from beginning to end it fits together. Creation, the fall, the children of Israel, Jesus, the early church…
His point was that the entire story experiences a “climax” a “turning point” on the first Good friday and then Easter Sunday. Everything else is either leading up to that moment or referencing that moment.
Maybe this feels like a bit of a tangent in relation to the things I’ve been covering here on the blog in the last few weeks. However I don’t think there has to be a disconnect between what we are here for and what we do.
Actually if there is a huge disconnect between those two things I think we could say that we are in a whole bunch of trouble.
Uhm… what about my story?
So I’ve done a bit of thinking about my story. I don’t think it ranks anywhere on any New York Best sellers list, but that really isn’t important.
The life I am living. The daily existence that I am a part of is my story. Because it is my story, it is of exceptional interest to me.
I’ve been a fan of the writings of Donald Miller for some time. He often refers to life as a book, or as a story. There are all kinds of elements that must come together to have a good and captivating story. Donald’s question to his readers is often, “what are you writing? Where is your story going?”
I guess I don’t know how my story ends. In fact if I knew how it ends there is a fair chance that I’d laugh right now… Isn’t that often the nature of a story? The end is never what you think it will be in the beginning.
What about our story?
In another sense, if everyone is writing a story with there life… and yet we are all parts of each others lives… then aren’t we all part of another bigger narrative?
I believe we are. Thus the importance that is placed on those we come into contact with, work with, play with, laugh with, worship with and all the other things we do that involve community.
This idea also gives importance to how we communicate and work together with those around us. The success of their story may be ultimately affected by us and our actions, thoughts and input.
Be a part of your community. Dig in. Participate. Hold someones hand when they need it. Carry their furniture when it comes time for them to move.
Speaking from personal experience, this is something that is much easier said than done.
Share your story…
I’ve been a fan of blogging for a number of years. Some years I’ve done it more consistently that others, but ultimately I am driven by the knowledge of how sharing in the life of others by following their blogs has affected me.
You don’t have to write a blog. Maybe you want to do video blogs. Youtube is a great way for you to do that. Maybe you just want to be able to share with friends and family. Facebook or Google+ might just be the perfect fit for you.
Or maybe you just need to make a few phone calls. Don’t forget to communicate with the spoken word. Words spoken directly by someone gives a new dimension to communication.
Conclusion
Basically what this post comes down to is that we are all writing a story. Writing a good story isn’t something that we can do alone. Nor is it something that our friends and family can do alone…
Live well. Write well. Take a stand when you need to.