Brag moment! I’ve completed seven books in the eight weeks I have been on the World Race. To those of you who really know me this isn’t a huge surprise. And with 150+ hours of travel time it wasn’t that difficult. I love to read. I especially love to read fiction. (I did throw in a spiritual non-fiction book however.) I also love movies and TV shows. I love a good story.
Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years gives a simple definition of story: a character wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. Movies, books and the like are complex stories, at least hopefully if they are any good.
Imagine you and your friends decide to go enjoy a movie and some popcorn. You spend $10 on a ticket and $10 on snacks and get settled into your seats. The movie is about a young man, we shall call him Frank. Frank decides that he really wants to buy a Volvo. The movie goes on to show Frank getting a job at a grocery store. For two years Frank works at this grocery store until he has saved up enough money to buy his Volvo. The movie score begins to really build here as we come to the climax of the story. Frank walks into the Volvo dealership and SLAMS cold hard cash onto the table. He goes through all of the paperwork and drives away in his baby, living happily ever after.
What a boring movie. What a boring life. What a boring story.
Do you remember when you were a child? What big dreams did you have? Children have such a wild imagination and nothing was impossible.
The graffiti says: “There are no impossible dreams, only incapable men and women.”
What if God wants us to receive this life and take responsibility for it to do something remarkable for His kingdom?
Hear me: God gives us the freedom to do something remarkable with our lives. It is our choice. He does not tell us every step to take in our lives. Don’t wait for Him to show you how to change the world, or live your dream. He can open doors for you, but you have to act.
What is your story? What are your dreams, your desires? Please don’t tell me the ONLY thing you want in life is to settle down, get married and have kids. I am all for that, but that should not be the end goal. If you’re going to get married, let your marriage glorify the Lord. If you’re going to have children, raise up the next Billy Graham. There is so much more to life than working 9-5. Jobs, spouses, children, material things, are tools and blessings to make this life into something incredible. Please don’t think I’m saying everyone should quit their jobs, move to the slums in another country and live with the poor. But wherever you’re at and with whatever you have, use it and don’t waste it.
Dream BIG dreams. Let us tell stories that set the moral compass for our friends, families, and the people around us so they see an example of what is beautiful in this life.
