You're A Part of the Story

Is there
anyone who doesn’t like a good story? Granted there are those who don’t like to
read, but I’d be willing to suggest that they probably still enjoy stories,
possibly in movie, television or audio form. There’s something about stories
that yanks us into a different world, challenges our thinking, and causes us to
root for the hero/heroine. Simply put, we love stories!




But consider
this fact: we’re all a part of a story being played out around us. When Shakespeare
wrote the following words in As You Like
It, he was speaking the truth:




“All the world's a stage

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts ..."




This story
we’re in has epic proportions and encompasses all of time, from the beginning
to the end. It was initiated by a Divine Author and will come to a final
conclusion when He chooses. History is HisStory.




Like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and countless other stories, there are forces of
good and evil at work all around us. As
characters in this magnificent drama, we have choices to make. We choose which
side we’re on. We choose good or evil. And if we put ourselves in the role of
not picking one over the other, we are in effect, making our choice.




Our “once
upon a time” starts with the words, “In the beginning God…,” but our “happily
ever after” depends on the choice we make. Interestingly enough, we characters
in this ultimate play of plays aren’t capable of being good enough on our own
to make it to “happily ever after.” The first two characters proved that pretty
quickly. So our happy ending doesn’t depend on our goodness, but on a personal
relationship with the Author.




So what is this
Author like? The best-selling book of all time describes Him as holy,
compassionate, merciful, good, gracious, slow to anger, and loving (just to
name a few of His attributes). But just like any good story, action always
speaks louder than words. Our Author was willing to put aside His divine
position and become a lowly human, sacrificing Himself on our behalf to prove
His great love for each of the characters of His creation.




Wow! Sounds
like the kind of Hero I want to follow. How about you?