I was amazed, at the visitation and funeral of my friend a few months back (see previous blog), to learn that he had even more talents and unique events in his life than I had gotten to glimpse. I had only known him during the last chapter of his life. Somehow, the fact that he used to carve and create beautiful clocks, or that he had traveled to Israel, or that he met his wife while filling in for a guitar player in her band, had never come up in our conversations. Chapters and chapters were written before my time with him.
Though I had known him for the last few pages of the last chapter of his life, I was struck by the fact that he had a long and interesting story, "unread" by me. I knew this, of course, but the impact of the story his life had made on so many stirred my heart and my mind to wonder.
Are we not all a story? Our very living....those moments where we are just breathing, heartbeat following heartbeat, are they not the prepositions, pronouns and conjunctions surrounding the ever changing story that is us? Then the joys and the sorrows, the accomplishments and the adventures, the loves and the grievous regrets pour forth to form the chapters, the climax, the resolution of our living and a story unfolds.
By my thinking, stories are important to God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." John 1:1. God spoke the world into existence. He used the story of Hosea to teach the nation of Israel how he would pursue them, in spite of their unfaithfulness. Jesus taught us using parables - stories to illustrate a truth, and our names are written in the Book of Life (Romans 17:9, Rev.3:5). We are part of God's story - collectively, and individually. God began his story of the world in "the beginning" with creation, and as each of us lives, we are a character included in His story of the world. Each life has a unique story that is unfolding with the breath we breath, with each new day that we are privileged to live on this earth.
It is comforting to me that God knows my story from beginning to end. That He is with me to the last chapter....and when I get to the last page of my story, I will have the privilege of living out a sequel much more wonderful than the first volume.
The story of a life is powerful when that life is well-lived unto our Heavenly Father. My friend's story was a story of courage, love and faith - and lots of blessing others. I know his sequel is going to be amazing!
