As human beings we tend to want life to make sense, for all the pieces to fit together, for there to be a purpose and a reason for everything that happens. When we read biographies or stories of people who have done wonderful things, everything seems to lead up to a defining moment that feels like they were put on this earth for-- a "for such a time as this" instance. We search for that moment, those moments, that show why we are here, what all the hurt and pain and weirdness of life was for.
We want the perfect plot, with no loose ends, no plot holes; everything leading to a beautiful conclusion. Instead, sometimes we are left with questions that we might have at the end of a disappointing movie: what was the point of some of the scenes? Where were the writers and directors going with that? Why was X, Y, or Z necessary?
In a movie or book or story of any kind, you have to trim the fat. You have to take out irrelevant details that don’t move the story along. We do this even when we tell the story of how our day went-- we leave out what was boring, mundane, or not relevant to the person who is listening.
The issue is that this leads us to feel that the moments in life that are boring and mundane, just plan terrible and heartbreaking, or are really confusing but don’t seem like they fit into our overall story are wasted moments. If pain, joy, monotony, or strangeness somehow doesn’t move our personal plots forward, what are they for?
There is beauty in the mess, in the loose ends and the things that seem pointless. We learn from them, we grow from them. Not everything that happens in our lives seems to fit into the story we are seeing unfold around us. Only one Being knows your whole story, from beginning to end, and that One is not you.
God redeems the brokenness, the pointless and wasted time, the mundane of life, the strangeness of growing up. He is the Master Storyteller. He uses all things for good. Just because you cannot see the point of different things in your life does not mean that they are not bringing your story to life, that they are pointless or wasted moments. We don’t always know why we encounter the pain that we do, we don’t always have the privilege of finding out why we had seasons of waiting or boredom, or why life feels like a random set of events that may or may not be leading somewhere.
God, in His every-loving kindness, knows where we are heading, knows the plans and dreams He has for our lives. It might not have been in His plan for you to experience the pain or heartache that you have. But He is such an amazing storyteller that He will weave His love, His purpose, His adventure into every moment of your life.
Our stories have been bought by the precious blood of Christ. Even when we feel like we have found ourselves outside of the story God has written for us, know that God is so great, so kind, so loving that He can rewrite our story every day, even every single second. Not only can He do this, He delights in redeeming. He delights in redeeming broken and lost moments.
“I once was lost, but now am found
T'was blind but now I see”-- Amazing Grace