The Bible, as we have already said, is a BIG story, a metanarrative that gives meaning to all other stories.  What about our “little” daily stories?  How does plot structure fit in to them?  When we think about it, every time our spouse or roommate or friend asks us, “How was your day?” we have the invitation to give a plot structure of one day in our life. Here’s a simple, perhaps seemingly silly, example of how the plot structure of creation-fall-redemption-consummation is playing out all the time whether we see it or not.

“How was your day, Mom?” my daughter asked, on her way to her room.  I realized she was just saying “Hello, I am being polite” in a teenager-ly way,  and didn’t really want to know how my day was, but I began thinking about it anyway.
It began smoothly, a good night’s sleep, no last-minute surprises getting the kids off to school.  (Peace reigned in the garden.)
Then, around 10 a.m. – the Dean from the high school called.  It seemed that my son, the wonderful boy I admired so deeply, had been given a referral for wearing sunglasses on his head in Spanish class.  The offending ‘paraphernalia’ had been confiscated.  I felt my body clench in anger as I listened to the Dean tell me how important it is that he obey the rules since he is the newly elected SGA president.  (Conflict introduced; peace disturbed…is this going to ruin my day?)
As I listened to the man drone on, I began to relax as I realized how ridiculous this whole thing was…he’s a 17 year old Junior in high school – is this the biggest issue he can come up with to call a parent about?:) I assured the Dean that we would talk to our son about respect, etc etc and thanked him for calling.  (Climax – turning point – most likely the Spirit spoke to me and reminded me that this was not the worst problem we could be facing.)  (Internal conflict resolved – I realized I had much to be thankful for and surrendered the anger in my heart which was really more about my pride than my son’s disobedience.  External conflict with Dean resolved – he felt supported. Reconciliation and Restoration of Shalom).
No, we wouldn’t want to take every small story of our lives apart into its plot structure like this.  Still, paying attention to our stories, to the structure and rhythm of our days and even our lives reveals much about how God works on both a small scale and a large one.

“Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!” Romans 1:28-32, The Message

That doesn’t sound like very good news at all. Sin is frightening in the way it can run out of control. But there may be some good news to be found: Listen to Eugene Peterson:
“Sin isn’t a skeleton in the closet that we surround with restrictions to keep it in its place. It’s a defective relationship with God. If we aren’t convinced of the nature of that defect in our lives it’s unlikely we will accept the remedy for that defect.

The failure to treat God as God, to honor him and thank him, Paul calls Sin, with a capital S, from which all lowercase sins ultimately proceed. If we, having read Paul’s gospel, were to still think that sin is sensuality or vice or crudeness or any of the bad things we do, we would have missed his point completely. Paul wants us to understand that all those things are derivative. Sin, he asserts, is that original rebellion against God, that basic act of leaving him, that foundational failure to treat him as the Almighty.

This disaffection from God, called Sin, is humanity’s despair. But when Paul writes of it, it’s anything but despair, for by tracing our sins to their source, he prepares us for the solution. That solution has nothing to do with self-help and everything to do with a Savior.”

Another gem from Christopher J. H. Wright.
“Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.  (Ps. 96:2-3; emphasis added)

“The name, salvation, and glory of YHWH were all bound up with ‘his marvelous deeds.’  YHWH was known through what he had done, and Israel knew that to preserve YHWH’s identity they must tell this story – whether to themselves or (in some way that remained a mystery in Old Testament times) to the nations.  For in the telling of the story stood the rendering of the God woh was its prime character.  So Israel told the story as a bulwark against idolatry (Deut. 4:9-40).  They told the story as an explanation and motivation for the law(Deut. 6:20-25).  They told the story as a rebuke to themselves (Ps 105-106; Mic 6:1-8; Amos 2:9-11) or to YHWH himself (Ps. 44:89).  They told the story as a comfort and anchor for hope (Jer. 32:17-25).  Israel’s whole theology depended on its memory, and Israel’s memory was constitutive of their peoplehood.  The same identity as the people of God with this storied memory constitutes also for us the authority of our mission.” The Mission of God

What Chris Wright is telling us is that as the people of God, we have a story that explains our existence and our exigencies.  As we tell our own stories and listen to others’, we see the intricate workings of God to redeem and restore the lives of his beloved, chosen people.  What stories have you told or heard that have drawn you to see God’s glory?  What story of salvation will you proclaim today?  (That’s not a rhetorical question:) — I know I would love to hear them, so use the comment box!)

Ever feel like God doesn’t really care about YOU and YOUR story? Listen to what Charles Taber says about what the Bible tells us about how God feels about His creation — that includes YOU (and ME!):)

“The very existence of the Bible is introconvertible evidence of the God who refused to forsake his rebellious creation, who refused to give up, who was and is determined to redeem and restore fallen creation to his original design for it…The very existence of such a collection of writings testifies to a God who breaks through to human beings, who disclosed himself to them, who will not leave them unilluminated in their darkness…who takes the initiative in re-establishing broken relationships with us.” (I think that last means “in re-establishing relationship with us after we have broken them!)

Charles R. Taber, “Missiology and the Bible,” Missiology 11 (1983):232. In Christopher H. Wright’s The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative

Yesterday I wrote of my fears and hopes for a difficult conversation I was facing with my Dad (See Surrendering My Savior Complex). The issue was health, rarely an easy one to tackle, even more squirrelly when it involves a man who has managed to avoid seeing a doctor for nearly 14 years. For you who are following, here is the ‘rest of the story.’

My Dad, charming, witty, and sharp, was in prime form. He joked with Ashley, our rather goofy young waitress, about the number of creamers she brought for his coffee – said he was going to take them home and make a milkshake with them. She giggled. He and I exchanged thoughts about tennis, words, and belief systems (he leans toward Buddhism; I, well, as you may have realized…have staked it all on Christ’s finished work for me.) I heard and enjoyed the sweet harmony in the conversation and dreaded ruining it by introducing the new and difficult theme.

But no cacophony came. He had said something teasingly about how we know life is full of ‘pain,’ ‘masochism,’ and ‘self-abnegation,’ and was gathering his things to leave. I could stall no longer, so I seized the words and though I felt very off-key, spoke, “No, wait – along that line, there’s something I need to ask you about!” He proclaimed my ‘segue’ (his word) to be ‘nice’ (also his word). Astonishing.

I told him my observations and others’ concerns and asked him if he minded talking to me about it. (Notice the difference between inviting and demanding? I did, and I think he did too.:) He didn’t mind at all and proceeded to tell me the story of his health over the past few months. He didn’t minimize or mock my concern, and I didn’t overreact or jump in to explain why his self-diagnosis of ‘flu’ could be a misdiagnosis.

Though he didn’t sign up for the doctor’s visit yet, I was able to offer my assistance in getting through the health care hassle when and if he is ready, and he was able to receive my offer. When we parted in the parking lot, he did something rare and unusual for him – he moved toward me to hug me. Not a simple pat, a real two-armed hug from a Dad to a daughter.

When told this story, one of my prayer warriors wrote, “Cool response from God☺!” Indeed, I had asked God to take my fear and transform it into a faith that trusts that God has my Dad’s health and well-being in his hands, and God responded with the embrace of grace!

“Please remember, everything you say and the tone you use will be remembered.” These were the words a dear and wise friend wrote to me in response to an e-mail prayer request I had made for an upcoming difficult conversation.

WOW. The Holy Spirit found its target in my heart with those words. I wrote back, “Fear leads to faithlessness, and too many of my conversations have been soured by that bitter taste rather than seasoned by the sweetness of grace.”

Here is the back story. Today I will dine with my Dad, hoping to have a conversation with him that will result in his seeing a doctor. He is 74 and has not seen a doctor in 25 years. I have noticed some small signs of concern in recent months, but have not addressed them because past attempts have been futile. Now others are noticing too, and I think it is time for me to try again.

Here’s my problem: I have lots of fears, not only about my Dad’s physical health but about his spiritual health. But that’s only the small problem – the larger problem is that I want to SAVE him myself. I go to dark and foolish places of thinking I’m all alone in this, it’s all up to me, and if I don’t do it, he will die and it will be on my shoulders. And when that sort of thinking guides my motives and my words, the conversation and the relationship turn ugly.

My friend’s words jumped in to remind me of what I have been
learning over the past 5 years or so regarding my Dad – I can’t save him, and it’s not my job to do so. If my motive in this conversation is to encourage my Dad to make a move that might improve his quality of life, that is (may be?) a godly and good thing. (It occurs to me an even better motive might be to ask him how he would feel about going to a doctor.) But if it is to force him to do something because it calms my fears, that is simply self-salvation.

May I, may we all, look at places in our lives where we are trying to take over the job of Savior, and may we let it go. Today, I pray, may my heart be right, and may my words be few but rich and powerful and entirely guided by the Holy Spirit.

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19

“’The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon,’ Thoreau noted mournfully, ‘or perchance a palace or temple on the earth, and at length the middle-aged man concludes to build a wood-shed with them.’ The writer returns to these materials, these passionate subjects, as to unfinished business for they are his life’s work.” Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Annie Dillard quotes Thoreau to tell of the writer’s diligence to return to the “passionate subjects” that make up her life’s work. These words make me think of the Apostle Paul. How many different ways can Paul say it – his life’s work, his passion, his subject matter are summed up by one story, the gospel: “To live is Christ…” …”For I am not ashamed of the gospel…” or, as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message, “I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God’s words and acts.” (Romans 1:1)

What about us? As new creations, redeemed and transformed by the love of Christ, we too are ‘on assignment,’ servants of the King, and called to proclaim the good news that God has changed us and can change anyone or anything. Since God’s mercies are new every morning, we should be like the youth, gathering the materials of the gospel, faith, hope, and love, among many others, to build “bridges to the moon.”

Look around you. What broken place is within 10 feet, 10 yards, 10 miles, of you right this very moment? How can you bring the hope of the gospel, the imagination of redemption, into this place? What will you do with the gospel you have been given to live and proclaim? I confess I’ve tossed up too many wood-sheds and resigned myself to the cramped life they barely afford. I pray for myself and you that we may dream and build gospel palaces, places to invite the least and the lost to come and celebrate the glory of God’s wild grace.

I don’t know about you, but I often become frustrated with how long the process of sanctification, making me more like Jesus, seems to take. Iaian Duguid reminds us that we are already perfectly beautiful in the eyes of God because we now own Christ’s righteousness — we are ‘justified.’ He also reminds us that even as we struggle in our sin, we have much to be thankful about right now. God is working in us through the gospel of grace, and his timing is perfect!

“In Christ we have someone who has taken the death that we deserved and has paid fully for our sins. His perfect obedience is now credited to our account, exactly as if it were our own. In him we are justified freely right now, sinners though we are. In that reality lies our hope, our peace, and our comfort in the weary wilderness. How long, then, will you and I refuse to believe in this God who has so wonderfully demonstrated his love for us in so many ways? How long will we trust in ourselves and judge others? How long will we become angry and frustrated over our own lack of sanctification and the failures of others?

We must look to the Lord and submit our hearts to him, trusting in his goodness and mercy, believing that his timing is perfect, being filled with thankfulness for his death and resurrection. We must ask God to teach us wisdom and patience, grace and gentleness, and, above all, love. The day will come when our earthly struggles and rebellions will be over, and the Lord will welcome us into his presence; then all our frustrations will finally be over. Until then, the good news of his gospel of grace will faithfully sustain our thirsty souls step by step along the way.” Iaian Duguid, Numbers

As promised, I’ll be offering some excerpts from Iaian Duguid’s sharp commentary on Numbers over the next few days. Here he is commenting on Numbers 12, and the amazing grace God gives us grumblers. As a seasoned grumbler myself, I am humbled to think that Jesus was sent outside the camp for my sins of envy and grumbling. Hear the good news and thank God that through Christ He welcomes us into community.

“Miriam received mercy from the Lord: she didn’t have to bear the full consequences of her actions, which would have left her permanently in the realm of death. However, she didn’t receive the same level of grace that you and I have received from the Lord. She bore her own disgrace outside the camp, but our disgrace has been fully taken from us in Jesus Christ. Our grumbling, whether flowing from unbelief or from envy, deserves nothing less than permanent death. We too should be shut out of the camp of God’s people, for our souls are defiled by the reality that skin diseases pictured for Israel. We are stillborn creatures, spiritually speaking, our wholeness eaten away by the cancer of our sin from the moment we are born. How can a holy and pure God welcome such horribly disfigured and malformed creatures into his presence?

The answer is that he has taken our disfigurement into himself in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. His perfect, pure wholeness was taken and dragged outside the camp, there to be maltreated. They disfigured his appearance with whips and with thorns; they pierced his flesh with nails and a spear. None of that awful abuse could match the experience of being disfigured with the load of our sin that he bore, however. Was he not the one with whom God spoke face to face from all eternity? Was he not the one who saw the Lord more clearly than any created being? Yet on the cross he became the one abandoned by God, the one spat upon by his own father. All of this was because he was bearing the solemn burden of our sin. He endured the pangs of death in the grave three days before he was brought back in triumph, before he emerged from the tomb victorious, interceding for those who grumbled against him and wronged him.

What is the cure for the grumbling that flows from envy? It is the cross. There God paid the price for your unworthy soul and for mine. There he purchased us back to be his servants, weak and feeble though we are. When we contemplate the greatness of his grace to us in the cross, we cannot doubt that he has our best interests at heart in the way he has brought our circumstances together, even though they are different from the circumstances of others around us. If God did not spare his own Son but freely gave him up for us, then what do we really think he is holding back from us (see Romans 8:32)? If you have been grumbling against others, come before God and freely confess your sin. Ask Jesus Christ to intercede for you with the Father. He will bring your case before the throne of God himself, and God will hear him and answer his pleas for you. Remember God’s grace to you at the cross. Let that remembrance transform your perspective on your situation into a fresh contentment with God’s plan for your life and a new determination to submit yourself to the direction of his Word, fully and completely.” from Iaian Duguid’s Numbers Commentary

I admit, it’s not as easy as turning a key and becoming content. But knowing who we are in Christ makes a big difference.

I’ve been offline for a few days, leading a story intensive for 9 wonderful women who are seeking to know and understand who God is and who they are by hearing and telling stories of redemption. Preparing for this sweet time, I turned to Iain Duguid’s commentary on Numbers, called God’s Presence in the Wilderness, and it is currently my new favorite book! (Yes, I know it’s a little theo-nerdy for a commentary to be your favorite book:)! But listen to some of the quotes I will offer you over the next few days, and see what you think. I’m not on commission, but you may even want to order the book and read it for yourself!

“The first step toward contentment is knowing who you are in Jesus Christ. Who are you? You are an unprofitable servant, deserving eternal judgment, saved by God’s grace and mercy alone. The great saint John Newton, author of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” certainly understood who he was. He had inscribed on his tombstone: “John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.” The knowledge of who he was gave him the humility and godly contentment that breathe through all of his writings.

The Apostle Paul knew the path to contentment through accurate self-knowledge. That is why he declared to the Corinthians, “what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). The first half of the verse doesn’t strike us as too bad: we surely want to proclaim the lordship of Christ over all things. However, the second half hits us where it hurts: “we proclaim… ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” We would typically much rather proclaim ourselves “your leaders for Jesus’ sake” and take center stage in the church. However, that is not Paul’s approach. He understood that in Christ’s kingdom, leadership means service.

If we truly understand that we too are simply unprofitable servants in God’s kingdom, how can we think of ourselves as better than those around us? Are we free from certain sins that embroil others in their grip? It is only because God in his grace has kept us out of the grip of those sins or has released us from them. It is not us; it is all his work. Are we more accepted by God because of our law-keeping than they are? Certainly not. If we are able to come into the presence of God, it is on the basis of Christ’s merits alone, not ours. So why do we think we are better than them? If we are not better than them, though, what basis do we have to envy their situation? If we recognize that we truly deserve eternal judgment, how can we be discontented with our present circumstances? Is our present life really hellish? Or is it, in fact, the perfect program of sanctification for our souls, designed personally for us by the God who is working all things together for our good? If that is true, then everything we face — good or bad — must be part of that sovereign plan. Why would we long to exchange our perfect plan for someone else’s plan of sanctification? Their plan may look easier to us, but even if it is (and remember, appearances can be deceptive), it wouldn’t meet our needs. Godly contentment cures envy-driven grumbling.”

How about you? Whose story are you trying to live? Is that a source of discontentment for you? How could some of the trials you are facing be part of God’s redeeming story for you?