Trust the Storyteller

A friend of mine starts every movie by watching the last scene first. This used to really bother me. I mean, come on. She was doing it all wrong. It ruins a story to peek at the last page or scene first. It’s like opening a Christmas present and then wrapping and placing it under the tree.

But over time, I realized her motive. She wanted to know if she could trust the storyteller—and refused to enter any story without the upfront assurance it would end well.

How often do we approach our Story in the same way?

The demand for upfront answers treats God as some sort of cosmic magic eight ball. The priority shifts from intimacy during the journey to a demand for information before we will even agree to the journey.

Yet God rarely gives upfront guarantees. He seems to prefer inviting us into adventures that include equal parts faith and mystery. If we refuse to go further until all our upfront questions are answered, he will leave us where we are. Stubbornly stuck in the status quo.

In this life, we’ll never have all the answers on the first page of a new journey. Nor will God allow us to read the last page for a story we’re not willing to step into. But we do have a choice. Will we pursue this season of life, with all the unknowns, with or without the Father.

Our decision reveals whether we hunger more for guarantees . . . or God.

Want more? Order your copy of The Story of With today!