The other day my shift at work was entering into its slower point. Our work manager had a little quiz throughout the evening to help boost morale where the first person with the right questions would receive a mini cupcake. I was narrowly getting every question right, but would get beaten out by someone else. As the evening was drawing to a close and the calls where becoming fewer there was one final question asked. “What is the greatest movie of all time?” My response was almost instant. “It’s a trick question. There are three of them. The Original Star Wars trilogy.” I won that match.
There is a guy I sit across from at work who I have developed a friendship with over out similar tastes in video games. We both have a deep love for RPGs. When we dig deeper into this appreciation for the genre we both find that what compels us toward these types of games is the story. We enjoy a good story. We want to be caught up in the emotions of the characters and feel like we are joining them on this epic journey.
We all want to be part of a grand story. Everyone likes a good story. A good story has struggle. There is conflict. There is risk. There is the point where you fear evil just may come out as the victor in the end. A good story that sticks with us always has good win. A good story always has conflict and heartache. There is a sense of pain and loss in good story. The overriding theme in the greatest of tales we find is that signature of hope for a better future in the midst of that struggle.
I think this is the problem for many in the Christian life today. We are not taking ownership of our part in the story. We are not seizing an opportunity that is hardwired into us to desire. We want to be part of an epic story, but we forget to actively participate in that story.
God has been writing out the greatest story of all time. It is full of conflict. It is the origin story of good vs. evil. It is the story the began every element of a good vs. evil story that we expect in a book, film, or video game. It is a story with pain. It is a story with hope. and it will end as a story with triumph.
Everyone wants to be the main character in their story, and that is what is so inherently unique in God’s story. Each individual has the distinct feeling of being the main character while also being place in a supporting role. We believe to be the main character because we are viewing this section of the story as the point of view character. It is entirely unique really. For a brief moment in this story we feel like a main character. I think this is simply a very generous gift given to us by God.
While we may feel like the main character we must remember that our true role is far different from that. We are truly just the supporting roles in this story. We et to be part of this grand adventure, but we play the supporting cast. If you ever speak with an actor who is truly passionate about his work he will tell you that he dreams to have the role of a lifetime. For each actor that role may appear different. We each get to have the opportunity to take on the role of a lifetime. It is a role that we were uniquely created to carry out.
As I aid, there is a problem. We do not actively try and live out our role in God’s story. The issue is that the hunger for being part of a story is still there. We end up looking for that story wherever we can find it. We look for it in love, work, family, and sin. We look to be part of this grand story, but we often settle for a role that is less than what we were made for. Some of us do it out of a desire to be the star of our own story. Others do it out of envy for a type of role. Some do it because they fail to see the epic scale of God’s story. Other do it because they fail to see God’s story at all.
God’s story is the greatest love story of all time. It is the greatest redemption story ever told since children were told stories. It is hero story lived out since boys dreamed of valiant knights slaying terrifying dragons. It makes every other story pale in comparison when viewed in it’s entirely massive scope. It’s a story worth getting caught up in because we don’t just get to wish we were part of it. We are literally part of it. How are you going to live your part in it?
Utterly Dependent 