Everybody has a story to tell. We are all, in fact, living our own unique stories, walking around in an interconnected mass of plots and subplots. Each step taken, word spoken, thought created is a new word, line, and page in our personal stories. Literally millions of stories are being told at this moment on earth. And the crazy thing is, they all matter.
Right now, your story may be an adventure. You might be setting off on a new path, heart pounding with anticipation as you await all the exciting things yet to come. Some of you who read this are in the midst of your own romantic comedies, young and new love growing in your heart for this one you've waited for all these years. Perhaps your story is a mystery. You're searching for some clue, some piece of the puzzle that might shed light on your past, your present, or your future.
Or maybe your story isn't a happy one at all at this time. Maybe yours is a drama, filled with relational strife and brokenness. Maybe you're living a tragedy filled with heartbreak, loss, rejection, loneliness. You're reading this as tears stream down your face, wishing it weren't true, that this wasn't your story. You grieve right now the loss of a marriage, a child, a friend. Or you've lost something a little more intangible but nevertheless as painful - innocence, purity, joy, freedom.
All of us, stories in our own right, matter. Whether you are the victor or villain, maiden or mistress, lover or loner, you matter.
You matter.
Our significance, though, comes not from how great we are or who we are or what we do. Our value isn't earned and it isn't lost. We matter because the Great Storyteller, the Master Craftsman, the One who tells our stories, values us. He says we have worth, and so we do.
Psalm 145:14-19 says,
"The Lord helps all who fall; He raises up all who are oppressed. All eyes look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and gracious in all His acts. The Lord is near to all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry for help and saves the."
This passage really needs no explanation. He is a God who is near, a God who is gracious. He knows our stories, what has been and what will be. He is intimately involved.
I invite you now to join me as I share my story. In a world of masks and masquerades, of falsehood and deception, of secrets cloaked in darkness, let's chase genuine. Let's dare to face ourselves fully and to let Light fall upon the darkness, for it is here that the Savior can redeem what is broken. Let's strip off what conceals and live freely as the ones we were created to be.
