Day 27: What Is Your Life-Story?
Our lives have a Beginning, a Middle and an End—all the essential parts of story. We are moving; we are going somewhere. We each have a Life-Story. As we know by now, all things were created by Jesus Christ, are being sustained by Him and will find their end in Him. You are part of His Story. You do not get to choose whether you will play a role or not; you are already in the story. The only choice that you have to make is how you will use the time that is given to you.
Seeing our lives as stories is more than a powerful metaphor.
It is how experience presents itself to us.
Daniel Taylor, Tell Me A Story
One of the most powerful ways that we can see Father-God’s work in our lives and in other’s is through studying and sharing our Life-Stories. Reflecting on how Father-God has worked and is working in our lives becomes a powerful way to edify one another as we each focus on what Father-God has done and is doing in our lives by His grace and design. As we reflect on His work in us, we lay a foundation for the hope (confident expectation) of what He will do in our lives to fulfill the promises that He has made to us in the Lord—Christ Jesus.
Your Life Has Meaning and Purpose
Ephesians 1:9–10
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him 1:10 for the administration of the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.
We are convinced that absolutely nothing simply happens, or happens by chance. All things are moving forward in FatherGod’s plans for the “summing up” of all things in Christ Jesus. What is more, if you belong to Father-God in Christ through the work of His Spirit, you are being shaped and molded according to His good plans for you. You were created with purpose.
Sometimes, it is hard to see what is going on with our lives because we get lost in the details. By making a LifeMap, we are able to take a step back and survey the “larger picture” of our lives. We will focus on how to make a LifeMap tomorrow. For today, we want to think about some key truths about your life story.
Your Life-Story is Unique and Significant.
Your Life-Story is the narrative of what God has done, is doing and will do in your life. Your life story is unique—it is your own. In the vast scope of human history, there has never been anyone exactly like you in terms of your personality or your life experiences. Father God is seeking to reveal something of Himself in your story.
Our Life Stories Share Common Themes
Even though our individual stories are unique, we all share similar common themes and experiences. Seeing the patterns in our own story and then talking with others who have shared similar experiences is one of the ways that we come to know who we are and what we are here for. You are unique, but you are never alone.
Your Life Affects the Lives of Others
Father God created us for relationship. We discover meaning through the relationship that we have with God in Christ through His Spirit and in the other human relationships that our Father has providentially provided in our lives.
As we see the reality of God’s work in our lives, and share that with others, we edify one another, build true fellowship (the sharing of life) and sometimes provide a context for God’s Spirit to mend and heal us in ways that we could not affect on our own. We were created to share life with one another.
Tomorrow, we will discuss making a LifeMap and give you some resources to help. For now, think about your life and how you would share some of the most important moments of your life with someone else. What would you share? What would you want to keep to yourself?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
