There are days where I wish I had more time. Days that go by and I wonder what happened to the time….some days will linger yet others will be gone in an instant. There are times that I wish I had a pen and paper….or my Evernote App on my phone to write down the idea that spawned in my mind, telling a story or a thought that was triggered, reminding me of what I needed to say or do. Most days, it’s little ideas….little thoughts of these quick glimpses of my life that, when put together or when the pen touches the pages, they tell a story. They write themselves. It makes me want to set up days where I get in front of my computer, I sit with my journal, or I jot down outlines of ideas so that I might one day put them together. The other day, my grandmother asked me if I had written any more. I told her I did here and there but no books…just a desire to tell a story again along the way. I sometimes see Donald Miller post about some form of writers block, or he’ll mention it in his books…and he talks about forcing himself to go through the motions at times so that by the movement of his fingers on the keyboard his brain begins to function in a way and more story is told. More ideas flood in….more information for the repertoire. More ammunition for another day. I like that. It puts it into a desirable discipline in my mind.
What if you wrote from your place? From within the depths of who you are…who’s you are…and who’s you long to be? What if you wrote about your life….telling your story – we all have a story. There is our version and the version that is told by actually telling our version. A lot of times I sit with people who discredit their own lives or their own story because they feel their “version” of life is not valid enough…that they’d need to have gone through some great chasm or ridiculous event in life to have a worthy or desirable story to tell. They want something that grabs people…but the truth is – we all like a good story. We all weave in and out of this labyrinth of life and the turns and stops and decisions abound…..telling of this or that. What is your story? Which turns, what part of the maze do you remember most….which one would you rather have not seen? Have you talked about it? I think that many times, by telling our stories..by being vulnerable enough to communicate the good, bad, and ugly – God shows up. Well, God….He was there all along and He is still….here. He makes himself more attractive in our versions as we unpack the winding road of our life.
But, whom would I tell…and who would listen?! You might be surprised. It’s not about flaunting YOU or bragging about your experiences…but living out of the place that you are currently in. It’s about acknowledging the presence of right now and living and speaking out of that place. No need to fix and move on…just move in and exist….as time unfolds, perhaps new life will rise. Tomorrow we cannot control nor contain…but what we have is all we are….right now. What we have is all that we have seen – it’s our “past” – it’s our life treasure chest. We hold the keys to all we have seen and done. It’s true. You did it. You said it. Perhaps it’s time you put it together and painted a picture with it. Could it be used? Would God say something to you…..to me, or someone else….with your story? Maybe.
What’s the danger? At worst, you’ve stood in front of the mirror and begun to unpack who you are and all you have been – acknowledging the right-now within you. I bet you just might encounter the love of God. Remember – He never left. His love is infinite. His existence is abundantly immense and ragingly intimate. So, go ahead, consider taking a look at God by taking a look at…..you.
Here’s to writing and thinking out of where we are.
Blessings,
-ao
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