The Story

“All of these lines across my face tell you the story of where I’ve been…” ~ Brandi Carlile

Amidst the hustle of tax time and family responsibilities, one thing you will not find me doing these days is planning an Oscar viewing party.  It isn’t that I don’t enjoy a good film.  In fact, I advocate for the genre.  The art of film moves me in a way that nothing else can.  Movies can be a transcendent form of artistic expression.  I would say my issue is more an aversion to the pomp and circumstance of award shows.  I have no interest in the fashionable arrivals, the political soapbox stances, or the celebration of self.  What my heart yearns for is the central foundation of film (and any other art form for that matter) – the story.

Almost nothing reaches the soul of humanity more than a good story.  The biggest budget special effects and most elaborate costume designs cannot stand on their own.  They lack meaning, structure, and connection.  A story, on the other hand, often makes the biggest impact when the distractions are stripped away.  Without lighting, music, breathtaking locations, or expensive acting classes, a story still makes its presence known.  All it really takes for a story to impact a life is one heart that is willing to share it and another willing to receive.

The most beautiful thing about story is that we each have a unique one authored by the Creator of the universe.  Right now, where you are, whatever you’re doing, however you are struggling, and whatever you’re feeling are part of a much bigger, God-glorifying story than you can likely comprehend.  Your story is a tapestry woven together with individual threads, some neutral and some bursting with color, some perfectly untouched, others tattered and frayed.  If you remove any one of those threads the whole piece loses its strength.  It comes undone.  It no longer reflects the truth and vision of the Artist.

When I look around at the broken pieces scattered throughout my life, I am overcome by sadness and fear.  The pain is real.  Searing.  I see darkness in minute detail.  I feel lost at a depth that can’t be reached.   However, if I pull the camera back for a wide-angle view of the bigger picture I’m overwhelmed by the craftsmanship of God’s artistry.  The sharp edges of each fragment seem somehow softened as they blend into each other.  The dark and light colors combine to create new hues that are supernatural in composition.  True beauty is revealed – the part of the story that words can’t possibly justify.

So, in a few days as the world celebrates what it considers the best of the stories that have made their way to the big screen, take a moment to give thanks to the Writer who is beautifully and purposefully crafting the story of you.