The story of the unknown

I was watching a TV programme last night, which was discussing the sudden rise in the amount of biography's that are being written at the moment. You only have to walk into a book shop and you will be faced by the life stories (I say life, but some of these guys are in their 20's) of people ranging from top politicians to Big Brother contestants. The programme went on to say that off the back of this sudden surge of interest in memoir writings, some publishing companies are offering to write the life stories of ordinary people who have not been in the limelight. The example they used was an elderly couple who had lived through the 2nd world war etc. What was interesting about this is that the guy doing the report recognised that although not as high profile, these unknown stories were fascinating and in many ways more captivating than those of a higher profile as they felt like real people with real lives, rather than people who we know all about as they are plastered all over magazines and newspapers, often with little substance.

This got me thinking about the worlds desire to be known, seen and acknowleged. The desire that to many people validates their lives and gives them a feeling of self worth for which they aspire and to people who aren't in that position, gives them an overhelming feeling of insignificance and worthlessness.

On the surface it looks like such a superficial desire, but unfortunately you can see the way that this desire has seeped into the church.

Many of us would admit that in our lives we have felt spiritually inadequete. We look at the big church leaders, those with amazing gifts and just think "If only I could be like that". We look at them and suddenly our own lives seem boring and insignificant. We even start thinking that God somehow loves these people more than us as they are 'better Christians'. The obvious dangers here are that we put these people on a large pedestal from which they can fall (and fall hard), and that more importantly, we begin to have a skewed view of God, how he views us and the value that our lives have.

God doesn't have favourites. He doesn't work on a commission basis where the more we do for him, the more he does for us. We are told in 1 John 4:19 that:

"We love because he first loved us."

Everything that we are comes from God's love. Our life is validated by that. It is our identity. We are the loved children of God. The reason we often don't feel close to God, is not because he is reluctant to be near to us, but because we struggle to accept and receive his love and forgiveness because of our perceived faults and failings.

Once we have rediscovered that our life is validated by God's love for us, our desire to be known and validated by others goes. In whatever role of society we have, our lives matter as we are 'trophies of His Grace' as Paul would put it. Although seemingly ordinary, our lives are in fact extra-ordinary as 'we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us'.

Just because we are not known by others, does not mean God does not know us. Don't feel the pressure to be something your not just to try and be accepted by God and others. Also, don't feel that what God has called you to is somehow less than what others have. We are all priests in His kingdom. Mediators between God and people. If you feel God has called you to something really think and pray through what this means. Don't limit God's plan in your life by copying others or trying to 'keep up with the Joneses'. You have been made the way you are for a reason to fulfill a specific role in the Kingdom. Don't forget that in this world of comparison.

So the point of writing this is to say, don't belittle your story. Your story brings hope to many as they see the joy, peace and love you have found. As you accept and receieve God's love, your life will be changed, not so you become successful and famous but so that you realise that the only thing that matters in life is God and everything is made by him, for him, including you.

If you don't already, why not begin journalling. Write accounts of what God has done and is doing in your life. Write your joys, your frustrations and dreams. If writing is not your style, how about making a timeline. Let God show you how exciting and important your story is to him. Don't downplay what God has done with false humility. Give Him the glory!

"Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!"

Prepare to be blown away by the bestseller that God is writing in your life, and recognise that it is part of a much bigger story that starts and finishes with God.