I’m reconsidering what it means to live a good story. Dream and fame; couch and comfort, a nice city
in a picketed community---the image in my head.
I’m on this road now where I’m paying attention to different
stories. A married couple in their twenties
face the wife’s massive brain stem stroke; a popular preacher faces the death of a five-year-old daughter from sudden asthma attack (one day here, next day
gone); the teen dives into shallow water leaving her a quadriplegic. The good story isn’t in the loss. The good story is in the overcoming.
I don’t know if it’s the age I’m at or the age I’m living
in but all around me people are facing difficult personal trials. Friends with cancer, parents with cancer and
children with cancer startle me at every turn.
I can easily name friends that live in pain from the moment their feet
hit the floor in the morning until their muscles settle down under the sheets
at night. On top of that friends face
income issues and aging parent issues.
All of these bring with them unique battles for spiritual perspective;
prayers for peace in the midst of soul-shaking storms. Some simply endure while others pursue the
best of stories in less than perfect circumstances.
Life is a process of re-calibrating. I just reviewed some previous blog
posts. There is a honing and sharpening
of my perspective and my direction; sharpening the point of life while it
pushes in to sharpen me. I say sharpen
but life pushes in with tremendous pressure.
God does whatever sharpening He wants.
I try to submit and learn.
Good story isn’t the perfect life. It’s the unexpected kidney punch life
gives. It’s how the hero deals with the
unforeseen circumstances—character forged in the journey. Finally, it’s God’s grace we see in the
overcoming. As MercyMe sings; “like a
hero who takes the stage when we're on the edge of our seats saying it's too
late, well let me introduce you to grace, grace God's grace.”
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