In what seems like the whirlwind of fall, I am finding I have to become very intentional about living in God’s Story. When I am not, I find myself swept away (and being shaped) by many competing stories all around me. Here are a few:
1. “fear the economy, hunker down, hoard all you can, money is security”
2. “a certain political party or charismatic leader will lead us to a place where we are all happy, safe & secure”
3. “work, work, work – if you stop to rest then disaster might happen”
4. “uphold an image for the outside world to see; show them you’ve got it all together”
5. “live to please everybody around you; be agreeable and don’t cause conflict, rarely say no”
All these stories have touched my life and influenced my behavior in the last few weeks. That is something I am not proud of, but it is a true confession. I struggle to live my hours, days, weeks and months within God’s story as much as anyone else.
So what do I need to do? I find I must intentionally carve out time and say no to almost everything else (I say “almost” because I do not wish to cross the fine line between legalism and intentionality). I choose intentional shaping of my life through God’s story – not just by mental ascent, but in action and ordering of my life.
So What? In the next few days I hope to blog about what our family plans to do to prepare for Advent and Christmas – how we hope to live differently than the competing stories that are all around us. I want to give tangible ideas (that you can put on your calendar) for entering the season of Advent in a posture of listening and waiting.
