The Stories We tell

One of my favorite things to do is read…I’ve always loved a story.  In fact, even when I choose things to watch, I’m mostly interested in the story being told on screen.  I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone in this fascination.  Products even get sold by the stories that connect them to consumers.  The face of a brand is often what catches people’s attention. 

This got me thinking about the kinds of stories we like to tell:

·      Tall tales

·      Legends

·      Vampires stories

·      Warrior stories

·      Fairy tales

·      Cops and robber escapades

·      The hero’s journey

·      Nursery rhymes

·      Science fiction

·      Sagas

·      Classics

·      Ghost stories

·      Historical fiction

·      Mysteries

·      and all those in between

Stories tell us something about who we are…and whom others are as well.  They are how our history gets told.  What we see and what we don’t in a story is important. At times, this is informed by our own personal biases.  However, it seems that the more we hear different types of stories, the smaller our biases become. Our depth of understanding of another’s story often dictates our level of compassion for their life experiences. 

Sometimes, I find the need to update the stories I tell myself, about myself.  Perhaps I am overstating my own importance…or possibly the opposite is true…maybe God sees much more promise in me than I am willing to give myself permission to utilize. Once again, it is important to analyze if bias is limiting my perspective.

I recently read a book called The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The premise of the book was that the main character had been transported to a magical library filled with books all containing possible lives. These books could be “checked out” and pursued to see if different choices would land her in the life she most desired. The overriding lesson of the book seemed to be learning to look at our choices from new angles and having gratitude for our blessings, however small.

All of this caused me to ponder about the lens through which God sees our stories.  It calls for a mindset shift.  One that is much lighter on bias and heavier on love.  For sure, I’ll fall short of that goal on most days.  However, God is aware of my shortcomings and meets me right where I stand.  I’m not likely to land in a magical library anytime soon and my story will continue to be a work in process…but in the meantime, I’ll be reading!