The Story of You

The Stuff of Good Stories

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie, and immediately fell in love with the story that was told?

Stories of comedy and mishap. Conquest and war. Love and romance.

We love great stories because they give us hope. They motivate us to do more. They inspire us to live a better life.

In these stories there is usually an unlikely hero, one who overcomes obstacles to do good.

The good varies from saving the planet to rescuing a dog, but doing the good was not easy. It took hard work. Perseverance. Courage. Boldness. A vision of what the world could be.

We watched this unlikely hero transform right in front of us. As the story unfolded and difficult decisions were made, he became someone different, someone better.

The transformation took time, effort, perseverance, trust, pain. At the end, however, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. Whatever our unlikely hero gave up, whatever pain he endured, was all worth it.

In fact, knowing the end, the choice was obvious.

An Unlikely Hero

We marvel at the courage of our heroes. The courage to get back up after being knocked down. The courage to go down the dark alley and confront the bad guys. The courage to stand up and speak truth. The courage to sacrifice for the good of others.

These are great stories and we love to read them, but have you ever thought of your life as a story?

I know what you are thinking. My life is too boring. Too plain. Too everyday.

School. Work. Dirty dishes. Bills. Cutting the grass. Routine. The grind. Who would make a movie out of that?

Our lives are headed somewhere. Events are taking place. Many of these events we choose. Some we do not. But a story is being told nonetheless.

And at the center of all these daily choices is an unlikely hero. You.

photo by Clelia Serpico (stock.xchng)

We tell our own stories through the lives we choose to live.

We tell our stories to other people in how we interact with them when we choose to encourage and if we choose to break down.

We tell our stories to our kids when we offer them love and affection, and when we ignore them and hide behind iPhones.

We tell our spouses stories when we listen and understand even when we don’t, and we tell another type of story when we act unforgiving.

We tell stories in our churches when we welcome with arms of grace, but also when we fail to be compassionate.

Choose to Be the Hero

Some people write incredible stories. They travel the world. They rescue people from danger. They climb the tallest mountains. They build orphanages. They chase tornados. They provide clean water to those that don’t have it. They chase down bad guys. They adopt. They create. They forgive. They love.

You haven’t heard about them. You will never know their names. There is no movie to watch or book to read. But that’s okay because they don’t do it for you. They make these choices because they love a good story.

They know that experiencing a great story is worth walking down the tougher path.

Others choose less interesting stories. Stories of comfort and ease. Stories of not getting back up.  Stories of turning around once they saw the cost. Stories of selfishness. Stories of regret and bitterness. Stories of fear.

We choose less interesting stories because they offer little resistance.

But stories that are worth reading and watching are the same kind that are worth telling with our own lives.

You can be the hero. You can overcome. You can do hard things.

I hope you will stand up and choose the tougher path.

What kind of story are you telling?

I would love to hear more about your story. Tell everyone in the comments or send me an email.