Smaller Story vs. Larger Story
"Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." -Matthew 4:21&22 Each of us has a story. When we have completed our lives here on earth, a story will have been written. But, what we do today determines whether we will have lived our smaller story, or whether we stepped out into our larger story. What is a larger or smaller story? A smaller story is written when we accept the adversity life has handed us as reality. We stay stuck in ruts unable to move forward due to our feelings about where we are. We let our circumstances and past define us, instead of letting God define our present and our future. We hold on to grudges and resentment giving other people the blame for our problems. We accept mediocrity. We likely don't enjoy where we are in life, but don't have much hope about the future. In contrast, if living our smaller story is about doubt and defeat, living our larger story is all about faith and victory. It takes much more faith to walk in our larger story, even if we believed in Jesus in the first place. There are many people who believe in Jesus but stop there. They don't have the faith that He can transform their lives. If we want to live extraordinary lives in Christ, then we have to have the belief that anything is possible, no matter what we've experienced before. This may involve a process of emotional healing and restoration, training in the things of God, and the letting go of past hurts and resentments through the power of the cross. This may involve trying new things and stepping out into situations that are uncomfortable for us. Whatever it is, if we want to step into our larger story, discomfort and faith is definitely a part of this process. Which story are you living? Are you living your smaller or larger story? Pray and ask God today to bring you into the larger story He intends for your life. Related resource: The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson
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