There’s More to the Story

When was the last time a good story left you hanging?

In our fast-paced world you, like me and many others, may not remember. There may be so many good stories left unfinished that you’ve given up trying to circle back around to The End of each one of them.

That’s ok. Unless it’s your own story.

If you feel like your own story has left you hanging, I have a word of encouragement for you:

there’s more to the story.

October comes as a month of remembrance and reflection each year since I had breast cancer. This month is no different other than it is heightened even more so as I prepare for a women’s retreat at the end of the month. The retreat theme is loss. But not just loss because the good news is

there’s more to the story.

God of the Not So Permanent Marker

It’s good to recall the hanging parts over the course of our life don’t have to have a period behind them.

The temptation when we’ve suffered loss is to assign our version of ‘closure’ to the things that hurt and grieve. Like punctuating them with a hefty black period courtesy of our mental permanent marker. But thank God, He is a wonderful Author with a penchant for correct punctuation and a redeemed ending.

Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story —
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
Psalm 107:2 NIV

Psalm 107 (I encourage you to read it) is a 43-verse recital that, if we’re honest, reads like some of our life stories – whether we relate literally or metaphorically. Either way, the key that changes our period to a comma, a semi-colon or even a new chapter is, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble¹…” (verses 6,13,19,28)  Followed every time by the specific action of a loving and faithful LORD because

there’s more to the story…

Miracle Mercy

So thank GOD for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Psalm 107: 8,15,21,31 MSG

When was the last time you experienced or witnessed some miracle mercy?

I encourage you to write it down. Share it with someone else. Double your joy by naming it and speaking or journaling it back to the Lord in an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness for His marvelous love, His miracle mercy.

 He loves you so. Have you told Him lately how grateful you are for His love?

Appreciation

If you are really wise, you’ll think this over–
it’s time you appreciated GOD’s deep love.
Psalm 107:43 MSG

Do you know the Lord loves to be appreciated? Seriously.

Don’t you like to be appreciated? Since we’re created in His image, it’s a given He feels deeply too.

The wise – not the proud – will remember and reflect with an appreciation of the Lord’s deep love. In His love He proofreads your life story with His red pen in hand and not a black permanent marker because,

there’s more to your story.

What has been thought for evil against you, God meant it for good.² Your story is still being written.

Take heart and chart on.

I invite you to reach me here if you would like to share and explore the ‘more’ in your story. No period

 ~ Nancy

¹adversary, afflicted (-tion), anguish, close, distress, enemy, flint, foe, narrow, small, sorrow, strait, tribulation, trouble (Strong’s Hebrew Concordance)
² Genesis 50:20

Photo credit: Unsplash Free Photos │by Jasmin Quaynor