We can’t undo our past. But all to often we tell our stories from a limited perspective. Staying open to the rest of the story allows us to see the many layers of our past and explore the expansive story of redemption ahead.
We experience many defining events in childhood – some painful, embarrassing, and outright shameful. And armed with undeniable facts we often never stop to question our interpretations.
But there’s often more going on in our stories than we realize.
For instance, we might have felt overlooked and ignored as a child. But as we got older we realized some of the hardships our parents we’re going through as they raised us.
This didn’t change our experience, but it did layer it. Much more was going on than we realized from our limited perspective as a child.
And our stories remain complex and layered still today.
Even in marriage, we can walk away from the same event with two totally different experiences. And both are needed to get a fuller picture of our story.
And, to be sure, it’s helpful to consider God’s perspective on our stories. Like Job, there’s often more going on behind the scenes, and a dose of humility that we don’t have the full story goes a long way.
And there’s also a sense in which our story is not over yet.
Even after considering the many layers of our story to-date, the rest of the story looks ahead to many ways God is redeeming us.
Said another way, our stories are not static. God is still at work and the best is yet to come.
What layers have been missed in your story and how is God still redeeming you?
Don’t settle for the shallow and static. Live to the fullest by discovering the rest of the story.
Photo by Avi Richards on Unsplash
