His Story Inlays Our Story

I have a dear friend in a new season of life with hope, direction, and anticipation.  It is exciting to see what’s next for her and her family. When she smiles, she lights up the room. In her life, she has experienced overwhelming tragedies. Many times, as she tells her story, she’ll say the memories of her experiences haunt her and have a way of shattering moments of joy and peace. She wishes they would all go away so she can live her life, and so she pushes the memories aside until they arise again.  Painful memories steal our present, wrecking our peace and jerking us back to our past.

As she shared her story, I saw her trying to hold a beach ball underwater, attempting to hold under her memories, avoiding them, almost as if to deny her story.  The challenge of keeping a beach ball underwater is that it becomes tiring, and at some point, it will erupt from the depths.  This way of living life will come to a tiring end at some point.  God doesn’t want this in our lives.

What if there is meaning to be found there?  What if the reoccurring memories are trying to tell her something?  Think with me – when a memory fades from our conscious, what makes it disappear?  Why does a memory reoccur in our conscious like a salesman knocking at our door?  One fades, and another doesn’t go away.  The faded memory can indicate that the memory is resolved, and the reoccurring memories seem to say things are not settled here.

Our stories inform us who we are, what we have done, and what has been done to us.  These memories from our history define our lives.  This is what makes me different than you. The stories of my past are mixed with ‘the good, bad, and ugly.’ The ones that reoccur are like the light on the dashboard telling me attention is needed here.  This attention takes courage to address and embrace – we must tread where we don’t want to go.  With God’s help and leadership, we can discern the meaning of these events, the healing needed, and the freedom we long for.  God is not limited by time but by our denial of Him working in our lives.

Our areas of plight become our areas of His redemption in our lives.

Not addressing the light on my car dashboard will eventually lead to more difficulty and much more expense.  One of the reasons addictions are so prevalent in our culture is the avoidance of our stories and the pains of our past.  We try to soothe ourselves from our stories, denying them to some degree because of the emotions, pains, and wounds that reside.

I have been on such a journey in my life and have had addictions along the way.  I have experienced tragedy, abuse, and mishaps that have shaped me. My interpretation of these events without God's truth nearly destroyed me. This is not the life God desires for any of us.

His Story of redemption inlays our story, making all things new.  Jesus asks two discouraged disciples walking along the road, “What’s going on?”  All things new are not only about the future, but they start in the present tense.  God doesn’t meet us where we used to be or where we are “supposed” to be; instead, He meets us in this moment.  God, who will make all things new, is making me/us new now, and He starts by saying, ‘What’s going on?’  He doesn’t ask as if He doesn’t know. He invites us to talk to Him about the details of our story!

Christ has and is shepherding us so that my memories no longer have their sting. I don’t have to keep a ball submerged underwater anymore.  God gives us meaning from these events that once tried to destroy us.  God redeems and is redeeming all things, starting with each of us.  The One who created us is bringing forth His created intent from our stories.

Active faith is God’s story inlaying our story.

If we think coming to faith is just about the sweet, by & by, we are missing the point of salvation.  He came to give us life. The enemy of each of our souls comes to steal and kill. Both God and the enemy use our stories.

If you need an ear to share your story and be encouraged by Christ's hope for your life, I would be honored to listen to you.

Peace, my friend.

Rob