The plot thickens: Our story and God’s story on Owatonna

Sometimes I think that my life is one big story, and I have yet to figure out if it’s a comedy, tragedy, drama, fantasy, or all of the above. Most people, I think, can easily see themselves as the protagonist of their life story, as the hero or heroine struggling valiantly against adversity, or as a helpless victim of harsh circumstances, or even as the comic relief for others. Perhaps this is why we are so drawn to a good story. We can sit for hours watching a compelling movie or mini-series, or read a page-turning book until the wee hours of the morning, or pay hundreds of dollars to witness a famous opera.
We do this because we know that, at the finish, all the loose ends will be tied up - the villains get their due, the lovers get married, and the world is as it should be. Depth and meaning will have come from their sufferings, turning them into something beautiful and inspiring.
Do our lives have a plot? All too often it seems, things happen for no good reason. There is not necessarily a dastardly villain out to get us. But still, bad things happen to our friends and family. People get sick, lose their jobs, move away, or die suddenly. And often there seems to be no happy ending in sight.
It’s a good thing that God has a story too. It’s full of love and grace that God wants to share with us. The Bible tells the story of God’s people – not perfect by any means – struggling and living and being saved by God. Think about Ruth overcoming marginalization to secure her place in Jesus’ lineage. Think about shy Moses as the mouthpiece of God to a powerful leader. Think about Paul who once was the most zealous persecutor of Jesus’ followers.
All the people in the Bible were people like us. These people are part of God’s story. They are part of our story as people of faith – the heroes and heroines who we look up to and perhaps strive to be like. But God wants US to be part of God’s story too, to share in the love and forgiveness and freedom that faith and trust in God gives to us. This is what faith is about – trusting that, when things in life don’t make sense to us, we are still loved by a God who continues to make meaning in our lives.

Lydia Nelson is a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church.

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