"Once upon a time..." has to be the best opening line for a story ever, except for maybe, "In the beginning...!" Our story starts at a certain time and place and begins to take off in many directions, some expected, some unexpected. As I think about the beginning of my story I consider myself truly fortunate for what I began with. I began with two wonderful parents, an lovable, but ornery brother, in an extremely small town without much money. I was surrounded by both sides of the family; grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family. The only thing missing was my dad's dad, grandpa Mercer. We grew up attending church every Sunday and because my parents believed in sharing Christ with everyone, including the poor, I rode the "Joy Bus" to church with all of the "poor kids" whose parents did not come to our church. It was an outreach and I grew up in it.
Isn't that just the greatest beginning! And, yet as I said above many expected and unexpected things have taken place since. However, it wasn't my only beginning. Every time I have grown in my faith I have had a new beginning. That is what I love about the story of God. He is always beginning something new in us. New beginnings happen when big life changes happen. We moved from that town, I started school, went to middle school, to high school, to college, got a career in ministry, got married, had children, and have moved twice since. We (my wife and I) have lost some grandparents along the way and have learned new normals by moving twice and tackling health issues. Through it all we have had new beginnings and new chapters of life have occurred.
When you start a story with "Once upon a time..." you hope to end with "And they lived happily ever after." And while the middle has its own plot, schemes, catalysts, and problems to be solved, the end come quicker than we think. And many times we live the middle trying to make the end say, "happily ever after". That is why I love the story of God. That is why I love that my story is just a small part of God's story. The end of His story is, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" And to be honest the ending hasn't happened yet. We still wait in great anticipation for the end. And so I will try and live my story creating new beginnings when life calls for them and living for something more substantial than "happily ever after." I will live for the grace of God. I live knowing that God is always with His people continually working in their lives and gifting them with grace.
Isn't that just the greatest beginning! And, yet as I said above many expected and unexpected things have taken place since. However, it wasn't my only beginning. Every time I have grown in my faith I have had a new beginning. That is what I love about the story of God. He is always beginning something new in us. New beginnings happen when big life changes happen. We moved from that town, I started school, went to middle school, to high school, to college, got a career in ministry, got married, had children, and have moved twice since. We (my wife and I) have lost some grandparents along the way and have learned new normals by moving twice and tackling health issues. Through it all we have had new beginnings and new chapters of life have occurred.
When you start a story with "Once upon a time..." you hope to end with "And they lived happily ever after." And while the middle has its own plot, schemes, catalysts, and problems to be solved, the end come quicker than we think. And many times we live the middle trying to make the end say, "happily ever after". That is why I love the story of God. That is why I love that my story is just a small part of God's story. The end of His story is, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen" And to be honest the ending hasn't happened yet. We still wait in great anticipation for the end. And so I will try and live my story creating new beginnings when life calls for them and living for something more substantial than "happily ever after." I will live for the grace of God. I live knowing that God is always with His people continually working in their lives and gifting them with grace.
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