Where Are We?

I've been reading Nate Wilson's book, Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl.  It must be getting to me, making my head spin.  Rick and I went for a little walk together this morning.  I asked him what his story is.  He looked aside at me with an arched brow, "huh?"  I had to explain.  God is writing a grand epic poem here, and he has seen fit to write us in as characters, not main characters, but characters.  Where is He going with our subplot?

The story of Naboth in 1 Kings 21 has always bothered me.  Here you have a godly man, living his quiet peaceable life next door to the king.  He must have been a good landowner, he had a beautiful vineyard.  So beautiful in fact that Ahab noticed it, and wanted to trade.  I'm sure the trade was a swindle, but either way, Naboth stood his ground and did what he felt God had led him to do.  He refused.  Jezebel catches wind of the whole thing and comes in and has him killed.  He was a good guy, what did he do to deserve death?  He made it into the Bible, which is pretty good for a short life, but it was so short. 

If our lives are eternal, then Naboth didn't really get ripped off.  There are no short eternal lives.  Our part in the story that we are all in right now, may be short, but we are moving into a bigger and better plot.  It will do me well to keep this in mind when I am trying to figure out where I am in my story.  I may think I am in mid-life, but who knows?  My friend Hannah wrote a beautiful post about her grandparents and the family that they have developed.  I commented to her that her grandparents looked so ordinary.  I didn't mean it to belittle them in any way, just that this young couple looking very happy and sweet, had lead to such a glorious group of people.  Their subplot was so fruitful, so joyous, so hopeful.

Rick commented to me in the middle of our conversation that we need to look ahead and see what God has for us.  I told him it might be more profitable to look behind and see what He has been developing up until now.  What direction are we heading?  What gifts has He already given that we can be using more successfully?  What about the other characters in our chapters?  What is He working out for them?  The best part of being in a story is that there are other characters, and that they all influence the plot.  I can't possibly know all that God has in store for me, but it helps to know how He tells stories.  Being in His Word everyday gives me some idea of the way He works in His character's lives.  I know what direction I should be praying.

I am glad that God has written me into this adventure story.  I am glad that there are moments of comedy, and lots of them.  I am glad that there is drama, but that I know there is a reason for it all.  I am glad that I can see myself as a small character in the big novel.  It makes my worries, seem as small as they are.  God has written in all of my children, and whatever tale He tells through them will be for His glory.  I need not fear in the day when my children begin to live stories that I would not have written for them.  I can look back at where I have come from.  Kristin Lavransdatter is my very favorite story.  Many Christians read it and wonder why I love it so much.  They read the first book of the trilogy and give it up at godless trash.  If my story had been written they probably would have done the same thing.  I always encourage them to read it until the end.  What happens to us mid story, is not the end.  The final chapters, even the ones that are written when our final scene is past are the really good ones.  There are so many books that I read more than once because I missed things in the plot.  The story always looks different when you know how it will end.  That is how our story looks to God.  He knows our end from our beginning.  He knows that He shouldn't give up on us when we are in the midst of our drinking binge, we will recover, we will lead fruitful lives.  Even authors that claim to have turned away from God, and write books shaking their fists at God, their story is not over.  Read His story, it has all happened before.

So, here I am mid story.  Where is this tale going?  I'm not completely sure, but it helps to know that I have a people, I have an author who knows the end.  If I live this life well the final scene for me will be glorious, even if I am murdered by a wicked king.