I always enjoy getting together with folks that I went to college with. Of course, it is great to renew old acquaintances and see how much everyone has changed; but one of the things I enjoy the most is sharing stories about the experiences we had during our college years. Those were wonderful days, and God used those times to shape our lives in a special way. But no matter how much we enjoy sharing those stories with each other, at this point, they are just stories. Those days are long gone now. That is how life goes. We enjoy an event, a season, or a phase of life; and then it is gone. It all eventually becomes a story.
That is what the psalmist is speaking of here when he says, “We spend our years as a tale that is told.” You and I are writing a story. Whether you are a child, teenager, college student, young married person, or senior saint—in fact, no matter your age or station in life—you are writing a story as you live each day. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind as you write your story.
1. A Story Doesn’t Last Long.
Most stories only take a few minutes to tell. Even a thick novel can be read in a relatively short period of time. The story we are writing is a relatively short one. When we compare our lifespan with eternity, we are here on this earth just for a brief moment. Each stage of life goes quickly, and each successive stage seems to rush by with increasing speed.
A week of camp can seem like a very long time to junior high boys and girls. They are caught up in a strange new world, and the activities of each day keep them continually occupied. On the other hand, a week of vacation passes by very quickly to an adult. It seems that we just begin to unwind and relax when it is time to go back to work.
No matter what stage you find yourself in, consider for a moment how quickly the previous stage passed. If you are beginning a new school year, think of how quickly the summer passed. If you are sending your child to kindergarten, would you say that it seems like only a few days since that child was born? It really doesn’t take that long to read through a chapter in our storybook of life.
2. A Story Eventually Ends.
If each phase of life passes quickly, then so does life itself. This story that you are writing will soon come to an end. As with a storybook, we never know how the story will end. The tale is spun with twists and turns. The storyteller wants to keep us in suspense all the way to the very end.
We do not know what lies ahead as we are weaving the tapestry that is becoming the tale of our lives, but we do know that there will be an end. Perhaps it will be with the sound of the trumpet and the rapture of the Church. What a blessed thought! If not, we will turn that final page in our own unique way. Either way, we will meet our Maker; and our story will be finished. No more revisions or edits. No new characters to introduce. Our tale has been told.
3. A Storyteller Keeps the End in Mind.
The end of the story brings about the resolution of all of the problems that arose in the story. In that regard, the end of the story is what we look forward to. “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Ecclesiastes 7:8).
As you are writing your story, think about what you would like the ending to be like. Of course, we cannot tell how or when our lives will end, but we can surely live in such a way that we are prepared to meet the Lord at any time. When your story ends, what kind of person do you wish to be? What do you want to be known for? What do you want to have accomplished? The answers to these questions should shape our choices throughout each day.
If you were to live an average lifespan, what part of your story is yet to be written? Whatever this portion is, make an outline of what you would like to see happen and use that outline as a guide as you write each chapter.
If you want to be attending church regularly in your last chapter, don’t drop out of church now. If you want to have a kind and compassionate spirit in the last chapter, do not allow bitterness to rule your heart now. If you want to have lead many souls to Christ when you stand before God, make sure that you witness to others on a regular basis now. Decide what you want the ending to be, then write your story to match that kind of ending.
4. A Storyteller Mustn’t Dwell in the Past.
A good storyteller keeps the story moving forward. Preoccupation with that which is past dampens the anticipation for that which is yet to come. That does not mean that the introduction and early chapters are unnecessary; we need them as a framework to help us understand what is happening in the present. The past can inform the present, but it should never overshadow the present.
So don’t allow yourself to be overly concerned with the part of your story that is already written. This can become a distraction, and it can prevent us from doing our best in the present. It matters not whether the early part of your story is positive or negative; at this point it is only the framework that gives meaning to our current situation. As we write today’s pages, we must keep it in mind; we must allow the past to shape our actions in the present, but we mustn’t obsess over the character of those past pages, whether good or bad.
5. A Story Can Accomplish a Great Deal of Good.
Jesus often used stories to illustrate the truths that He taught. The stories of our lives ought to be good examples for others to follow and inspire others to achieve great things in their own stories. As we fill in our stories, let us be ever mindful of the good that needs to be accomplished around us; and let us strive to make our lives count for God.
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