So now that I've read my blog, which I didn't edit, I have to write before I forget. None of our stories really would work out without the Ultimate Hero, Christ. He's the Only One who can turn all of our subplots and events for our good, because He is the only one who has the power and experience to make each event right in His way. And we all have to write a story involving Him, whether we know it or not, whether we want to or not. And the happy ending will depend on how much we let Him be written into--how much we write Him into the story and in which way we choose to do it. There can be an ultimate happy ending. Along the way, though, if He's written into the story, there can be happy events, no matter what--even when the events seem tragic or frustrating or pointless. Writing Him into the story--letting Him write Himself into the story as we seek the guidance of the Ultimate Author--will make all events turn for our good, both now and ultimately when we continue the story in another realm. So back I go to writing, living, and letting Him (our Father in Heaven) write and letting Him (Christ) finish the story, letting Him be the hero! I think ultimately in His perfect love, He will let us share in being the Hero of our own story, when He presents to us the first chapter of our book (or is it the second?) and we gladly accept the challenge to assist in creating another, even grander masterpiece!

We all love stories, right? Science fiction, romance, westerns, crime novels, fantasy. Look at the shelves at the library, and it's obvious there's many who love writing stories, as well as reading them. Go to the video store and you're surrounded by stories of every make and kind--the good, the bad, and the very ugly. I used to enjoy fiction growing up and read a lot of the real classics before I was in high school. Through high school and college, it seemed the only time I read fiction, though, was when it was an assignment for school, because there was so much other stuff--reality--to read. I still enjoy good fiction today, but don't find that there's as much time to read, and maybe the motivation's not there either. I've tried to read through Harry Potter with my kids, and have attempted to start the Fablehaven series so I'd have something to help me connect with my 14-year-old (and my husband, who loves to read, especially historical fiction). But I just can't get into it anymore. Why? Because I find that real life is a much more interesting story. We all have stories. We're all writing stories, every day. How I wish that I could, as I walk down the street, get the story of each person I see. How they got there, every twist and turn, the characters who have come and gone but continue to exist somewhere else with their own story still evolving. Wow! And to think there's a Heavenly Father who does know each of our stories, the plots, settings, the characters and their conflicts, and who weaves them all together in one great big massive story--all the while preserving and utilizing for His own ultimately beneficial purposes the agency--the choices--of each character of each story, each protagonist and antagonist, each figure of each subplot--and ultimately it's not just for His good, but it every particular instance, it's for the ultimate good of each one of those many millions of characters, of their own choosing, of course. Now, He couldn't pull it off without someone who is the ultimate hero of each story--you have the outside story, the events which happen between each character, but then you have the inside story, the victory which happens inside each person as they struggle with their own thoughts, experiences, and beliefs which exist in the soul. Who is that ultimate hero who exists in each inside story, makes all the outside stories work ultimately if they let him be their hero, and can cause each inside story to work for the ultimate good of every outside story it influences? Christ, of course, who makes all the risk-taking and all the twists and turns of every subplot work. Without Him, it wouldn't matter how well all the subplots worked out in the end to create a happy ending. And is there a happy ending, where everything just suddenly seems to work out? Yes, I guess ultimately. Maybe that's why I don't enjoy fiction as much anymore. And while I can stand in awe at the sheer art and technical prowess of movie making, I want the story to continue, I want to be shown all the inside and outside stories of each character, for each is important and each has a story, and so sometimes it leaves me wanting. And maybe moe importantly, I want to live my own real story and help others write their own real stories, too, instead of living someone else's made-up story (maybe that's why fiction's not as interesting to me also--you can make up almost anything you want and have it work out--it's real life, though, where you take what you're given from everyone's else story, and then do your best to create your own, which involves real agency of each person every step of the way, that turns out much more interesting, I think). Real life is our story, and how exciting it is to know that each moment we are writing our story, we are a part of the action of someone's else's story, and we form part of the inside story of all we have ever come in contact with. How wonderful it will be when we can see the happy ending for all of us--which is really only the beginning. And in the meantime, we'll enjoy the fictional stories we enjoy, in books and in movies, because it mirrors the reality. Hopefully, though, we'll realize that in order to have a happy ending ourselves, we've got to be actively working with the author to write our own story, letting the ultimate Hero take over, and let him guide the action, giving our will to Him, so He can use that will so our story will have as happy an ending as possible, and along the way, making the stories of everyone else as happy as we can in our own small way, guided of course by the Author and "Finisher."
So how is that for a heavy, rambling first post! A little more philosophical than I imagined--it would be nice to ue a few real concrete examples to make it more "real," but as I have a crying baby who needs to eat, a house that needs to be straightened up and cleaned, people that need visiting, and the like, I'm going to get back to creating and living my story as it is written by One above, putting myself into the stories He's authoring with everyone I meet today who are creating their own stories. Happy reading! Happy writing! And most of all, Happy Living!!!