Our Story

How should we look at life? I am convinced that are our life is a tale composed and executed by God. Also, that it is part of a larger cosmic tale, a tale that those who trust in Christ have been given an overview of in Scripture. Our story is woven into the larger story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. But there are other ways to view life. We can see it as a grand resort hotel, where we expect all our needs to be met and if they are not, we complain to the management. Or we can see it as a prison, some place where we are trapped and must wait with fortitude and clinched jaw until someday we are released. It can be regarded as an endless treadmill of meaningless tasks that we do because it is what is required of us. And how we see life will affect how we live it. Scripture tells us that God is in control of the world, working all things according to the council of His will (Ephesians 1:11). It also says God is in control of our individual lives, working all things together for good (Romans 8:28). All this is so that He can carry out His purpose in our lives (Ephesians 2:10). But in order for us to properly carry out His purpose in our lives, we need the assistance of the Author.   

Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). But He, through His Spirit, is at work in our lives to transform us and accomplish His purposes in the world (2 Corinthians 3:18, Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29). Therefore, we must trust in Him to accomplish this (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; 2 Corinthians 3:5,6). To do this He assists us in our prayer (Romans 8:26,27), bestows on us gifts to enable us to carry out His ministry (Romans 12:3-8), and brings us through our difficulties to ultimate victory (2 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:37). But this does not mean it will always be easy. Rather, we are told to expect problems (John 16:33; Acts 14:22). But these sufferings are put in perspective by what we know of the end of the story (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17,18; Revelation 21:4). But it comes back to, how do we view life? If we see it as a resort hotel, then even relatively minor problems can be devastating. If we see it as a dungeon, they become one more torture to make us grit our teeth and try to endure it. If life is a treadmill, then they become a huge weight, liable to make us stumble and fall off the machine. But if life is a story, these difficulties become one more challenge to overcome on our journey through life to our final destination. And we know how the story ends. How do you view life?