大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Julia Loveless, singer & writer

PERSPECTIVE

Good morning.

I recently heard a short phrase that has stuck with me since hearing it. 鈥淭he story you live in will be the story you live out.鈥� It鈥檚 referring to that uniquely human enterprise where we pen our own internal narrative. Circumstances occur and we, like commentators to our own lives, start writing a story about it.

This narrative can either be helpful or hindering to the fullness and enjoyment of life. Yes, of course, there are a multitude of things in our lives we have no influence over. But one thing we can control is the story that we write in response. If life presents us with hardship we have a choice. To sit in grief & anger and foster resentment, blame, despair. Or, to acknowledge the hurt, process it, and somehow, through gritted teeth perhaps, cultivate hope, gratitude and dare I even suggest, forgiveness.

It is the harder path, no doubt, to choose the latter. But if we choose resentment, the sweetness of our lives will be slowly corrupted by bitterness. If we cling to blame, we will eventually be exhausted by distrust. The apostle Paul commends us in Ephesians: 鈥済et rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander鈥� Instead, be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God, through Christ has forgiven you.鈥� And the reward for pivoting our internal narratives, as Paul writes in Philippians is that 鈥渢he peace of God which surpasses all understanding will dwell in our hearts and minds through Jesus.鈥�

In my weakness & fickleness, caught in the midst of this broken world, help me write an internal narrative of hope that overflows into the life I live out. Amen.