For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
–Jeremiah 29:11
If my life were a book…
I would want, with my final breath, to turn the last page smiling with satisfaction. A story rich with meaning, challenges, lots of love, and a satisfying ending.
An important question, then: Who is writing it?
Depending on who I ask, I get some different answers:
Is God writing it?
“God has a plan for your life.” Ever hear somebody say this? I hear it all the time. Some people look to a passage like this one from Jeremiah to indicate that God is the Author of our lives. We needn’t worry–we’re in good hands.
When people lean on this too hard, it doesn’t ring true to me. It sounds like God is playing chess with my life, and I don’t believe that.
The context for this verse is important. God is not speaking to a person, but to a people. Jeremiah is speaking to Jews exiled in Babylon, bringing a word of hope: their exile is not the end of their story.
So, no. I don’t believe God picks one person to survive cancer and another to not. I don’t believe that God helped Jan and me secure a home loan that time we desperately needed it. Even if I prayed for it!
God loves us deeply. God remains present with us and instills hope in us. I just don’t think God writes the whole of our lives into existence.
Am I writing it?
“Life is what you make of it”. I hear this a lot, too. You are the author of your own life. You have human agency. You make your own choices and respond to whatever challenges befall you. Free will, baby.
Of course I believe in free will. Yes, in many ways I do get to chart a path through this life. But the story never unfolds exactly how I’m trying to write it. People die unsatisfied and unfulfilled all the time.
And from my perspective, here on the ground, I may not be able to see the broad themes and lessons that might form the spine of my book. I want my story to have more depth than that.
Is nobody writing it?
“Que Sera, Sera” Whatever will be will be. Many folks default to this–Christians and non-Christians alike. In the end, nobody is writing the story of my life. Not God or even me. It just unfolds as it goes.
There are no plans. Each day is an empty page and it doesn’t all have to add up to some masterpiece. There is a kind of liberation to this kind of thinking.
Meaning can be gleaned without a satisfying story arc, but this one scares me a little. I don’t mind if my life is free verse. I just want there to be some rhythm, movement, and unifying reason to it. Otherwise, the story of my life could amount to not much of a story at all.
If I’ve rejected all three of those options, what is left to consider?
How about all of the above? A team of writers, offering different contributions.
God does have a direction for my life but God’s plans are more about helping shape me into the person I am. Call it character development. God may equip me for life, point a direction, and offer a nudge of comfort or inspiration along the way.
And I fill up the pages. I make choices, good and bad. I set my priorities which may or may not align with that direction. I may be influenced by circumstances and other people, but how I act, what I do with my life is my creative decision.
Except when it isn’t. Because life happens. Random roadblocks and dead ends appear. The unexpected adds a dramatic twist to the story. This is life, and yes, sometimes it just happens.
Three authors. Me, God, and life itself. That’s quite a writing team.
When each source is acknowledged, even an imperfect story can be profound. Life is the unwitting contributor, providing much of the grit. I provide the agency, the choices. And the divine shows up throughout, often in unexpected places, with the loving power to redeem every story–even the short ones. Even the tragedies.
You don’t have to be on your deathbed to review your story so far. As you’re reading, make sure to give credit where credit is due. And don’t worry if it doesn’t read like a best seller.
It’s a work of art…
ready for the next chapter.
Have a great week,
Mitch
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