Today a friend was filling me in on some of the history of the church we’re a part of. In so doing, he referred to a few different “chapters” of the story, and some of the key themes, events, or people that marked each of these periods of time.
Since our conversation, I’ve been thinking about that term—chapters—and what it implies. For instance, the term implies that there’s a bigger story that it is a part of. It also typically implies some kind of relationship with the others chapters in the story. Usually they build on each other in some manner, although they are distinct. They continue to develop the plot, though there may be twists or turns along the way. Perhaps there’s a different motif or focus in a particular chapter, yet each one serves the overarching narrative.
Whether we think about it or not, each of us finds ourself in one chapter or another. We’re part of a larger narrative or story—and not just the story of the wider world in general, but the story of our life in particular.
Of course, we don’t what the future chapters of this story will look like, but we can look back and see what’s come before. What themes are being developed, and what trajectory is the story taking? Is the plot developing as anticipated, or are there significant changes to its direction?
We may not think of our lives as a story, but someday, others will. And when they tell the story of our life, how will they tell it? What were it’s main chapters and themes and directions? Did it continue to get better as it went along?
Because regardless of how things have gone so far, we have a say in how it develops. Each day our decisions and actions are adding to this story called our life—and the ultimate question in, what kind of story are we writing?