How we tell our story matters. But sometimes without realizing it, our private narrative keeps us stuck in an unfulfilling story. We must regularly step back and consider the interpretations of our life.
To be sure, we all have an inner narrator that interprets the story of our life. And we need these interpretations to make sense of life and to find our way through. Whether childhood wounds or first love, job losses or expanding families, every experience comes with an internal story to help us navigate the course of our life. But sometimes there is a glitch in our matrix.
Instead of the best possible interpretation freeing us to live passionately, there is a flaw in our storyline that robs us of our true vitality and meaningful relationships.
For instance, we feel called to a particular job and pour our all into it, only to lose it. We might go on to blame others for our downfall or assume the risk is no longer worth it, settling now for the safe job. Both of these interpretations “help” us to move forward, but they’re also limiting. Through our pain and loss we must still trust God is working things out for good.
Do our interpretations anchor us in the hope of God’s goodness toward us?
Sometimes we’re too close to our own story to realize we’re contributing to our own dissatisfaction. We’re playing a disappointing part in a play of our own making. This is again where community is our lifeline. We can see a bit clearer as we share our story with others.
When we don’t, we might remain a victim of our faulty narrative – and none the wiser with the passing of time.
Interpretation matters. And we need each other to tell the best stories throughout our life and relationships.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
