When We Lay Down the Pen

If I could write the perfect story,

it would involve happy people doing happy things and experiencing happy endings.

But when I read a powerful story,

I realize that it includes people who are struggling, people who deal with conflict, and people who face all sorts of not-so-happy endings in many chapters of their lives.

Great stories are filled with drama.

Even fairy tales have bad guys, suspense, and moments of regret.

So, as I read the Old Testament and realize that the history of mankind is unfolding right before my eyes, I am keenly aware of God’s insight into what makes a great story.

He knows that even though we long for perfection,

we are captivated by drama.

Because of this, the Bible is filled with flawed people struggling to find their way back to God not perfect people doing everything in the most perfect way.

I cringe when I read about the need for continual sacrifices in the Old Testament and the sprinkling of blood all around the altar.

I cringe because I realize that if I had walked on the earth at that time in history, I too would have needed the very same time of atonement time and time again.

I fall short.

I mess up.

I fail.

I disappoint.

I sin.

And time and time again I find myself feeling so thankful for what Jesus did on the cross.

He took the mess of my life and made it perfect in God’s eyes.

His blood was enough to replace the need for anymore sacrifices.

And the perfect story I long for in my own life becomes a messed-up story God can use to show His love to world filled with people longing to know the power of His grace.

He can use your story too.

He can use your flaws,

your shortcomings,

your weaknesses,

your “not quite good enough” feelings,

and your brokenness.

If I could have written my own story, it wouldn’t have looked anything at all like my life looks today.

Yet I believe with all my heart that God knows best and that He holds the pen that writes my story……………………….and yours.

He is a dramatic author.

He loves suspense.

He uses struggles.

But most of all,

He did what had to be done to allow us all to have the promise of an eternal happy ending.

If you feel like you are trying to hold the pen in order to write your own perfect story,

I encourage you to lay it down.

It’s scary letting go of the movement of the ink through the pages of your life,

but there is freedom in knowing that the Author of Life is writing your today and your tomorrow.

Lay down the pen today and allow Him to write your story even when your story doesn’t make sense.

He’s leading you somewhere you could never imagine on your own.

Thankful for an Author who knows me better than I know myself and loves me anyway.