What's your story?

I have this friend Sara Toguchi who is one of those people who can only be described as one of a kind -- you just have to know her.  One of the things she often does when first meeting someone is asking them "What's your story?".  It is always rather blunt and comical and usually puts the person on the defensive.  It is remarkably efficient at cutting out the small talk, but it also inadvertently draws attention that we all have a story.

I just finished the latest Donald Miller book A Million Miles In A Thousand Years and it blew me away.  It's the best Miller book I have read -- yes, that means better than Blue Like Jazz (gasp).  I really liked the Publishers Weekly review:  "Readers who loved Blue Like Jazz will find here a somewhat more mature Miller, still funny as hell but more concerned about making a difference in the World than in merely commenting on it". 


The book is all about story and about how we are all living a story.  The only problem is that many of us are leading a boring story that isn't going anywhere.  He offers the following definition: "A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it".  I really like what he had to say about conflict in the great stories.  "Somehow we realize that the great stories are told in conflict, but we are unwilling to embrace the potential greatness of the story we are actually in.  We think God is unjust, rather than a master storyteller".


He goes on to talk about how our stories can be about wanting a Volvo or being a couch potato or we can instead look for the epic stories full of memories, meaning, and relationships.  Learning about story led him to pursue three different stories: riding a bike across America, finding his father, and one about a girl.  Eventually he comes across what he calls his epic story, which was starting up a program called The Mentoring Project that provides mentors for boys without fathers.  This is a program that is being run through local Churches nationally. 


And so that is the challenge for us.  Our story can be about nothing in particular or we can strive to find greater stories in our lives.  It won't be as easy as plopping on the couch in front of the t.v. -- in fact, it probably won't be easy at all.  There will be conflict and hard work and plenty of distractions.  But think about your favorite stories: books, movies, whatever...the best stories are never easy for the protagonist.