What’s Your Story?

Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor

Life is not about what happens to you but the story or grid by which you interpret that story. We can see this when we think of people’s expectations. An entitled child expects a new car when he graduates from high school. He doesn’t know that his parents have hit a rough patch and can only afford a gently used car. A second student knows that her parents have been struggling financially so she doesn’t expect anything big for graduation, she is just glad they will be there to celebrate. Both sets of parents buy the exact same model of used car, but each daughter’s response is completely different. The first child is sorely disappointed and thinks the car is a piece of trash. The second child is ecstatic. Why? The first child had expectations based on a story she believed is true. She deserves the best and her parents are there to give it to her. It’s their job. The second child believes that life is hard, and we shouldn’t expect anything. The car was a huge gift of grace at great cost. (Adapted from a book by called Margin, by Richard Swenson)

We all tell ourselves stories all the time. “Nothing in my life goes right.” “Everyone is against me.” “If I work hard enough, things will work out.” “I’m a failure.” “It’s all up to me.” “It’s a rat race, and the rats are winning.” “My heavenly Father delights in me and is working all things for good.” We have a grid through which we evaluate and view the events of life. We see ourselves as part of a story that we are telling ourselves and we believe is true. Think about it, it isn’t the event but our reaction to the event which governs our emotions and response. If we think someone did something on purpose to hurt us or get back at us, we are vindictive or bitter. If we think that someone did something by accident and didn’t want to hurt us, we are more likely to be forgiving or overlook the offense. Our perspective influences our interpretation and response.

What if our story isn’t OUR story but it is God’s story, and we are a part in that? Isn’t this what God is trying to get us to understand through his word? He doesn’t want us to view our lives only through our horizontal relationships but to view it considering God’s plan and purpose. Because his hand of providence is guiding all things and he is sovereign over his creation, he calls us to trust him and believe that he is working out all things, good and bad, for his glory and our good. God calls us not to buy into the story the world is feeding us about what life is all about but believe his divine story that he is writing about his Son Jesus Christ. Don’t believe me? Check out this passage: “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:2-5)

Look at what Peter says! He tells us to consider our salvation and think about who we are in Christ! We are not just accidents of nature aimlessly living our meaningless lives until something happens and we return to the primordial soup from which our ancestors came. No, we were created by a sovereign God individually and purposefully. He called us to himself and placed us in his Son so that we would be forgiven and have an enduring relationship with him. He is working out his plan for creation and in his goodness has chosen to work through us. The main character is not us and the main plot is not ours, but we are caught up in a bigger plot and the central figure is Jesus.

Our lives are infused with divine purpose and our lives are part of a bigger story that we have the privilege of being a part of. All the seemingly random things in life in some way fit into that divine narrative. This is the story in which we are to view our lives and interpret the events that happen to us. How much would that change our perspective to view the details of our lives through the truth of God’s story?