Live a Great Story

Last year I read Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years...okay, I read it three times. It was a catalyst to change the way I looked at the world. At first, I thought I just picked it up at the right time of my life but I just looked at it again and that was not it at all. As I glance through all my underlines and notes, it still hits me smack in the face.


The premise of his book is that we need to be living great stories with our  lives or as author, Jim Wallis writes, "The world is full of great challenges, terrible tragedies and overwhelming joys--there is simply too much going on to be part of a boring story." Recently I saw Donald Miller interviewed about his book and he said something that really made me think. He said we need an inciting incident to throw us into a story. For him, it was to sign up for a cross-country bike ride to raise money for clean water wells. He had no idea how it would pan out but he decided to throw himself into a story. That decision changed the course of his life.

Last week I bought the sign pictured above and hung it over our TV since we spend a great deal of time staring in that direction. I thought it would serve as a good reminder not to waste my life away. It may not seem like a big deal to waste a moment cause how long is a moment...a blip in your life??? It was probably just a blip when Donald had the chance to sign up for that ride. It was probably just a blip when you first laid eyes on your spouse, probably a blip when you crossed the line of faith, or said "yes" to volunteer for a worthwhile endeavor. You see the moments that we let slip by can turn into moments that throw us into life-changing stories. Maybe not always life-changing..maybe just life renewing like calling everyone around the dinner table instead of eating in front of the TV. Donald goes on to say that we need to be intentional with our lives...no one lives a meaningful story with their lives if they don't get off the couch!

What moments do you need to seize today? What story do you want to write with your life? Have you recently said, "no" to an opportunity that was scary, inconvenient, difficult or seemed so far out of your comfort zone that there was no way you would engage? These may be the very things that will throw your life into a tail-spin and it just might end up being a great adventure, for a great cause, a story worth repeating. Recognize those little moments, grab them, and let the story carry you away. What are you waiting for?