Life Stories

Two weeks ago now - did time really fly that quickly?? - I was in Portland for a conference with my favorite author, Donald Miller. The conference was centered around many of the themes that he has been developing for years, which came out in his latest book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. All of you should immediately cease reading whatever mind vomit is flowing out onto this blog right now and go read that instead. Seriously. Go read it.

The gist of the book is that narrative is somehow embedded into our lives. As humans, our lives are oriented around stories, and our lives become stories unto themselves. Sometimes, our stories suck: they're about making money or buying stuff we don't need, or about satisfying our own desires and ignoring the needs of others. Sometimes, our stories can be inspiring: they could be about love, self-sacrifice, dramatic character changes.

And it all gets you thinking pretty deeply, asking yourself, "What kind of story am I living?" If my life were to be made into a movie, would anyone watch it? Would people cry at the end, because it was so beautiful? Or would they walk out of theater because it didn't offer anything compelling? Are you living out a Braveheart or a 2 Fast 2 Furious?

And I'm pretty set on figuring out what kind of story I'm meant to be living out. I'd like it to be one adventure, passion, and vigor. I'd like it to be full of meaningful, beautiful scenes - scenes that make you laugh, cry, or sit in silence: awestruck. I'd like to be one of hospitality and generosity, one that produces rather than consumes. And when the final page turns, I'd like to know that I lived out every chapter of my story with intention, gratitude, and love.

So, what's your story? And how can we help each other tell better ones?