How to Live a Story Worth Telling

I love a good story.  Words and art inspire me.  I want to take what is powerful about a good story or an amazing work or art and live out those elements in my life. What if we decide to live our lives as art?  What if we decide to live a great story?  How would that look?  Today, let's look at story.  What does it take to live a really, really good one?

Embrace opposition. Every great story is ultimately a battle to overcome something, right?  I love that sense of conflict in a story, but I try so hard to avoid obstacles in life.  What if instead of stepping away from those things that seem too hard, I step up or I stand firm?

Let go of control.  Much of my life, I've only been willing to be part of a story with an ending I can predict and of which I approve.  I have needed to see the whole outline before jumping into the first chapter.  The more I practice intentionally remaining in situations where I don't know the final outcome, my trust in God grows, and the excitement of my story increases.

Be willing to look stupid.  When I was little I wanted to try lots of things.  But I didn't.  Because I thought I would look stupid.  As an adult, I'm choosing to let the risk of failure or looking foolish to others take a backseat to the risk of missing out on something really amazing happening in my life.  I'm sure sometimes I'll look stupid.  But looking cool is highly overrated, right?

Choose to risk.  God asks me to trust Him.  He often asks me to be willing to give more than I feel comfortable with.  Sometimes it's the willingness He wants to see, and sometimes it's the giving.  He asks me to go places and do things that are exciting and uncertain and amazing.  If my story is going to be worth telling, I have to be willing to risk everything and believe that the Author of my life is working out a better plot line than I could ever have written.

I'd love to know what you think about living a good story!  What are the things you think make a life story worth telling? 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:5

For more thoughts on life as story, check out A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller.