An Epic Story

"We learn all of our most important lessons through story, and story deepens all of our most important lessons."  

(John Eldredge, Epic)

     We live in the midst of a story.  It's a story that began before time.  It's a story that we get to play a part in.  I find comfort in knowing that.  Perhaps it's because I'm able to be a part of something.  But it probably leans more toward the fact that, although God invites me in to be a part of that story, it's not like a "wrench in the machinery" if I mess up along the way.  The wheel in the sky is going to keep turning regardless.  So am I important in the grand scheme of things?  Dude, He created me; created me with a purpose!  He can use me to make a positive difference; a difference in the lives of family, friends and acquaintances.  Whether you see it as the "Butterfly Effect" or the "Trickle Down Theory"; either way it's living life with a purpose.  It's living while knowing we leave behind an influential legacy.  Is that lived in perfect alignment?  Hardly!  (Insert raspberry sound here.)  Disappointments abound.  Where others look to folly or drown their sorrows behind unfulfilling masks, I press on.  That requires learning from life's lessons; training while relying on an ultimate truth.  The Apostle Paul expressed this concept by saying, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:7-8 NIV)  Although frail at times, like an earthen pot (and at times "half baked"), I "Keep on, keepin' on".  Life is hard, but life is rewarding.

     I took my wife Cindy out to the woods today.  It was her turn I suppose.  Not because she had earned it or deserved it.  If that was the case, and taking her out was the reward, then I'd never leave the woods.  Hmm, that's an interesting concept there!  We went out to hang out and do something together.  She was apprehensive; rightfully so unfortunately.  In my zest to have her join me in my escapades, early on in our marriage, you might say I over did it a few times.  Gun shy?  Perhaps, but you'd hardly notice the twitch in her eye when I ask her to join me for an adventure these days.  I know better now.  I may be a slow learner but I do learn.  I simply need to preface when and where we're going and for how long.  We have different passions that spur us on, but have no fear; we also have our mutual loves.  Don't misinterpret her; however, she's no wimp.  She's a living miracle and inspiration despite her thoughtful, quiet disposition.  We share our love of humor and wit, literature, writing, family, sports and games as well as travel, nature, art, creativity and photography.  It's part of our story.  Not a perfect story, but definitely a story of ongoing grace and forgiveness.  Faith and hope are powerful entities that fuel us on.  They are entities that provide us with the life lessons we learn from and build upon.

We cooked our brunch over an open fire on the banks of a river while the dogs played and explored.  We talked about our stories and how they are being lived out while intertwining.  Sometimes it seems like we're not living the dream or where we thought we might be at this point in our lives.  But on this day we tried to encourage each other that this too was our story.  Although the river was hidden beneath a layer of ice, it was still flowing.  Occasionally it would boom and echo to remind us.  Likewise, Cindy and I carry on; sometimes swirling in an eddy, sometimes in a stagnated side-channel, but in the big picture we're always moving.  Moving with direction and moving with purpose.  

     It was a good move to go to the woods together today.  It was a chance to talk.  And maybe when we look back, years from now, we'll see it as a notch in our family's stick; an important time when we saw life, and our relationship together, in a different light.  Craig Nova quoted his wife, Christina, in his book Brook Trout and the Writing Life.  She said, "We always seem to see things a little more clearly after you come back from the river."  I'd agree.  Cindy and I have spent our fair share of time together on rivers.  It's a great metaphor for God's power and life in an epic story.  We're in the midst of one in the making.  
     See you along The Way...