God’s story

Absolutely Positively Definitely Maybe

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Definitely-Maybe-2008-movie-quote

“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens” (Romans 8:18-21, The Message).

Such a great moment in the movie. I’ve actually owned Definitely, Maybe for a while and just now got around to watching it (one of the few perks of being without a job).

I love that line because it reminds me so much of God and the Story He is writing. And I do so love stories, especially when they’re well-told and have happy endings.

I know that ultimately God’s Story is about God, as it should be, but one of the very happy side effects is you and me finding redemption and freedom and abundant life. Because of God’s Story, you and I have a Story that we get to share. Because of God’s Story, we know that our Story will always have a happy ending because God has written it already. I read the last page of the book and I know that it’s good.

It’s hard to remember that when the Story seems headed for tragedy or when the current chapter seems like it will never end and circumstances will never change or get better. It’s hard to see that happy ending when you’re wondering how you’ll pay the bills or make your struggling marriage work or find that job that makes you come alive.

As I’ve learned in reading books, you don’t put down the book when the characters run into hard times. You keep going with the hope that those struggles will lead to something better. As Corrie Ten Boom says, you don’t jump off the train when it goes through a dark tunnel. You trust the Engineer to get you through.

I don’t want to be that guy who says things like, “Hold on, it will get better” or “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” When you’re feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or discouragement, bumper sticker quotes don’t really do the trick.

You need to know that God is still faithful to His promises. You need to know that the same Jesus who conquered death and the grave can conquer your circumstances. You need to know that He will finish what He started in you because He said He would.

That’s a happy ending.

 

Just Call Me Joe

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I think maybe you and I can relate to Joseph (I mean the one from Genesis, not the one who married Mary, the mother of Jesus, although he’s a pretty cool dude, too).

He found himself in a fairly rotten situation. Sold into slavery by his own brothers. Ok, so he got a little cocky with the whole coat of many colors and maybe overshared with the whole “one day all of you will bow down to me” dreams. But he tried to do the right thing for the most part.

But I love the part where it says that God was with Joseph. That’s what stood out about him. Whether he was being sold in the slave market or running Potipher’s household or wasting away in a jail cell or ruling as one of Pharaoh’s top men, God was with him. It was obvious.

I love the fact that Joseph didn’t mess around when Potipher’s wife tried to seduce him. When “No” didn’t work, he got out of there. What really matters is that he didn’t wait until she made advances to decide how he would act. He was about pleasing God from the beginning. By the way, I picture Potipher’s wife looking like Anne Baxter from The Ten Commandments. Or maybe Angelina Jolie. Take your pick.

I also love the part where God’s favor was with Joseph. Not just when Joseph was in a good place or riding high on success. Even in a dark prison cell, God’s favor was with Joseph and God used Joseph to impact the lives of those around him.

I can relate to the fact that Joseph had a hard time forgiving his brothers. I would have, too. But in the end, he forgave them and took steps to reconcile with them.  That’s the important part.

My takeaway from Joseph’s life is that God can uses you no matter where you are. Just because you’re not in a good place doesn’t mean God isn’t with you or working in and through you. In the end, your story is about more than just you. Just as God used Joseph to save an entire nation, so God may use you to impact the lives of people you may never meet.

I love the fact that you don’t have to be a perfect saint with a spotless past for God to use you. You just have to be willing and available wherever you are.

Life as a Story

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I really love a good movie or a good song or a good book. There’s nothing better to me than a story well told, whether it’s in a 3 1/2 minute song or a 3 1/2 hour movie or a 300-page novel.

I like to think that’s because I myself am a character in a story. Not just any story. The Story of all stories, authored by the very God who made the world and everything in it.

The Story isn’t about me, though I tend to forget that from time to time. I get so caught up in my little drama and my own problems that I forget who the story is really about (and has always been about).

The Story has always and will always be about Jesus. He’s the great Hero who shows up when things are at their bleakest and when people are at their lowest and rescues us.

I take great comfort in knowing that my Story has a happy ending because I’ve already read the last page. No, I don’t know how I will die (though according to a facebook app, I will die in a rollerblading accident when I’m in my 90’s). I do know that Jesus comes back in the end and sets everything right again. And I get to be a part of that.

I love how C.S. Lewis puts it. All of history is just the title page and preface, but Heaven will be the actual story that never ends and keeps getting better from chapter to chapter. Heaven’s not an end, but the real beginning after a false start.

That’s why I love a good story. I always have, from when I was little up till now. So did Jesus during His earthly ministry. His way of communicating truth was through telling stories.

I hope that you and I can not only live our stories well, but learn to tell them to others and help other people find their own stories in the context of God’s great Story.