Don the Mon

The title needs to be read with a Jamaican accent. It’s only funny if you do it that way. If you still don’t get it, just ask me later.

I recently finished a book by Donald Miller called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It’s a story about stories. Miller explains that each person’s life is like a story. We can be a part of a boring, meaningless story. Or we can live a memorable and exciting story with beauty and possibility and purpose.

God, who is the author of all, has been writing a story since before time began. If you’re unfamiliar with it, reading the Bible will give you a good glimpse into God’s story. It’s a story about God drawing all people into a relationship with himself through Christ to enjoy him and give him glory forever.

When we lay our lives down at the foot of the cross and allow God to have His way with us, that’s when a good story unfolds because we become a part of his story. But good does not necessarily mean easy. Easy stories are boring. Good stories are full of risk, adventure, and even conflict. And to the person who perseveres through the difficulty of a good story, they become changed in the process and are used to change others as well – and all this for the glory of God.

I’ve felt challenged and inspired to live a good story, not so that my name would be made great, but rather for God’s name to be made great. I want to pursue new possibilities with a sense of courage and boldness, and ask God to use me however he wants. I don’t want to settle for an easy or boring story. I want God to use my life to write a good story, to change me to be more like Christ, to affect others and point them to Christ, and to hear Him say “Well done” in the epilogue of my life.

Perhaps the words of William Carey (1792) sum it up the best: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great thing for God.” Basically – live a good story that will count for eternity.

Now the hard part is putting my money where my mouth is…

If you’re looking for a new book to read, I’d definitely recommend Donald Miller’s latest, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It’s an easy read that’s inspiring, hilarious and thought-provoking. Let me know what you think! (Other good books by Miller are Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What).

And on a completely random note, I wanted to use this opportunity to make a shameless plug for my adorable niece, Rebecca. This photo was taken on her 4^th birthday. Isn’t this the cutest picture you’ve ever seen?!