Tale of two stories

This week I have been studying the story of Moses at the start of Exodus, and particularly the encounter he had with God at the burning bush. A couple of years ago, this story had a profound impact on me as I struggled with my identity and in particular my insecurities around what I felt God was calling me into and the ability I had in myself to carry it out.

In this conversation (Exodus 3 and 4), God makes it clear that the call to 'Go' was not about Moses and his ability to make it happen, but about God showing His glory to His people and continuing the story He had started with Abraham and seeing it through to completion. God wanted to free His children from slavery in Egypt and was asking Moses (or indeed telling Him) to join Him. It should have been a privilege and an honour for Moses, yet the great drama of his own story (murder, failure etc) had caused him to become overwhelmed with fear and hopelessness towards his future.

The same message applies for our lives today. God wants to remind us that the redemption of creation is His story, His mission and He will carry it out with or without us. The amazing thing is that He has chosen to involve us in this plan and has promised to be with us, even giving us His spirit to empower us, which has all authority.

There's a great book by Louie Giglio entitled "I am not, but I know I AM", which talks about this concept in much greater depth, and with honest simplicity. The opening paragraph reads like this:

"Life is the tale of two stories - one finite and frail, the other eternal and enduring. The tiny one - the story of us - is as brief as the blink of an eye. Yet somehow our infatuation with our own little story - and our determination to make it as big as we can - blinds us to the massive God story that surrounds us on every side."

Which story are you seeking to make famous today? Has the drama of your day-to-day life caused you to miss the bigger play that you are invited into? Take time to stop and to ask God to reveal that story to you again. His story for the world and the part that He wants you to play in it. It's not about the size of the part, more the size of the author who has written you into it.