Being an Extra in God’s Story

Being an Extra in God’s Story July 23, 2017

Le_roi_Victor-Emmanuel_III_se_rendant_au_Sénat_pour_la_cérémonie_du_serment_optOur life is not a movie, thank God.

Movies end, life also ends, but unlike a movie the story keeps going. We see God and are finally enfolded perfectly in the divine comedy. God’s comedy begins in a wedding and continues in joy forever.

A movie builds to a climax and stops, because instead of centering on an ever-interesting person, God, a mere movie is written by a human about human things. We over focus on self and miss others. We miss the interconnections that we cannot even see between each human being. Too often we demand lines that should belong to someone else. We are afraid: if I step back will I be forgotten?

A mistake we make is seeing ourselves as the star of our own movie instead of what we are: players on God’s stage and in God’s story where each person can matter. The story God tells is diverse, interesting, and empowering to each person, because God loves us. He is big enough, creative enough, for a fulfilling life of meaning for everyone. Nobody is forgotten, everything is interesting, and all true needs are fulfilled over eternity. When we take over the story telling, we take on a job for which we are not capable.

We can create in God’s image, but only in imitation of Him. This makes magnificent art, but inadequate meaning to our lives. The beauty of the creation is wonderful and far beyond our capacity to express or understand. Our joy, our job, is to imitate that beauty, but we cannot capture it. Instead, we can, if we are wise, be a sub-story in the great divine comedy.

We create best, when we see the bigger picture and make our ever-changing part of that picture. This does not just help us find God, but see the importance of other people and the moments when God puts them at center stage. We can step back, become supporting characters. This is good and not fearful, because, in fact, we are always supporting characters in the divine drama. We know God will not forget us. We are always remembered.

Saturday I watched Jane, our youngest daughter, get married. Jacob and Jane were center stage that day and have started their own sub-story in the divine comedy. Hope and I stepped back and they stepped forward, just as they will more and more as time passes. They are the future in this life and we rejoice to see what soon will be. They are coming forward and we can step back.

God delights in giving such gifts to us: flashes of glory, a foretaste of eternity to come. We take joy in stepping back and letting others be central. As we live in God’s story, we have days of glory, weeks of support for others, and no fear.

God loves us and will bring us to a meaningful place. A new star shines, but this simply fills the night sky further. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will to men!


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