A very liberating view of life is to see it as a movie, or novel. A great story unfolding, with you in the spotlight. This may sound narcissistic, but be honest, its natural for everyone to put their needs and desires before others. This is why it is so great in the eyes of God for selfless love and action to be taken. Viewing life as a story is very much within the heart of the gospel. We have scripture, and much of it is written and recorded in narrative form, telling stories that unfold and are extremely rich and dynamic. Jesus often spoke in parables to open the eyes and hearts of his audience. The point is, story speaks the to the inner fabric of our souls, so why not see life on a whole, as an elaborate story.
Now there is one thing that hinders all great characters in any story above all; FEAR. The characters of great stories overcome the odds, and often those odds at play bring fear(s) that greatly effect the character in immense ways. With this in mind, it is crucially important to realize that all characters are created, and have an author as their creator. So, it stands to reason then, that if we are to be wise characters in our stories then we will acknowledge that we too have a creator, our author, and let him write the best possible story for us.
Our author has never called us into a safe life, in fact, he assures us of just the opposite and goes as far as to say, "if you love me, you will be hated." Once again, just as in the great stories we love to engage in, fear takes the stage. The disconnect rises within us due to the reality that we strive for safety in our story, while admiring the danger and overcoming of effectual fear in others' stories.
We are commanded "do not fear" over two-hundred times throughout scripture; yet we still do. If you read between the lines, it is explicitly obvious that Jesus greatly understands the we will be afraid. Yet, we are commanded not to fear. We are not encouraged to avoid it, we are commanded. Not only does Jesus understand that we will be afraid, He knows first hand, that the greatest stories are of those that do not give in to fear.
Donald Miller puts it this way, "I thought of fear as a subtle suggestion in our subconscious designed to keep us safe, or more important, keep us from getting humiliated. And i guess it serves that purpose. But fear isn't only a guide to keep us safe; its also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life."
How great of a story are you living? Is it safe? Are you co-authoring with the creator, or are you going at it solo? Is your story boring?
The smallest of mice can become the greatest of men.
