When you think about your life story, how do you
see it? A pre-printed script that was
handed to you at an early stage? A book
that you don’t find very interesting, but feel like you should finish all the way to the last page? What if we decided to write our lives in
pencil, not pen? With a big fat eraser
to erase the mistakes. And what if we
understood that we can cut and paste and move the parts of our story around to
suit where we are today. That we can
dream and envision the ending and write our own plot to get there. And if we don’t like what we’ve written, we
can erase the bad parts and begin again.
I want you to think about a manuscript. A handcrafted piece of art that you are
writing every day. These words are
important: you are writing every day. The
writer, and that’s you, darling, decides on the main characters, the plot, the setting,
and the overarching theme. Is the plot
one of daily disappointment? Or one of
embracing your season of life and seeing the beauty in it. Is it a story of trudging forward on a path
that seemed right twenty, thirty years ago?
Or is it choosing the best parts and fitting them into the person you’ve
become and following another thread.
We seem to forget sometimes that we get to choose
these parts of our story. What do we
want the ending to be? Everyone’s story
is different—what is yours? How will you
get there? What steps do you need to take today to make it come true tomorrow? It can be a little overwhelming to think of
the whole, so take it in chapters.
“I
want to grow old with my love.” Then
take care of the two of you now, so, that your relationship grows with time and
care.
“I want to go on grand adventures and see the
world.” Then plan how you can do that
with your resources. Is it the fancy
hotels and resorts you want to see or is it the heart-stopping beauty of God’s
creation? Those are two very different
things and one is much easier to attain than the other.
Who are the characters going to be in your
story? Are there people in your life
that you wouldn’t want to include in your manuscript? Is there anything you can do to change that
dynamic? If not, then begin to release
them, with love. If your interactions
with them are hurtful to you, chances are they are not a good thing for the
other person, either. I know there are
some relationships that are harder to disengage with. Prayerfully consider how you should
proceed. Make sure those people are not
affecting how you love and treat the people who love you.
Not
everyone should be in your core group of people. Choose wisely.
Where does your story take place? Is most of the action at work? Is that where you spend most of your time and
energy?
Or
is it taking up too much of your heart space and you’ve been neglecting the home
where you long to be, with your people?
See if your reality aligns with your
manuscript. Work is a blessing from
above and fulfills a proper space and purpose in our lives, but it’s not the
whole story. Make sure the setting of
your life is appropriate for you and for the story you want to tell.
And, lastly:
What is the theme of your life’s story?
What do you want people to think of when they think of the places you’ve
been and the things you’ve done and the people you’ve loved? This should direct all the other
components. This is what matters. Fortunately, we have an Editor who has given
us all the prompts we need to write a life story that matters and that will be
a legacy we truly want to leave. Seek
Him and He will show you the way.
If you feel stuck, I pray you will find a way
forward towards better and brighter days.
If you love your story, I hope you will cherish it and share it with the
world.
And if you’re just beginning to
write your story, I hope you seek His wisdom and plan for you. “…for
your Father knows what you need even before you ask.” (Matthew 6:8)