Stories to live by

I remember once seeing a picture of what looked like an ultra modern house but was in fact a pollen grain magnified hundreds of times.Focus and magnification are really important to prioritising and knowing what we are seeing.One way of getting focus and knowing whether we are seeing clearly is to share our stories. Some personal stories are central to the directions our lives have taken.Can you recall one life changing personal story?Now since I wrote the question above I've just had two welcomeinterruptions: in the first interruption the person said, "The only way I could make myself clear to my friend was to make my point in a story". That's pretty amazing considering the opening of this musing - a story brought focus.The second interruption was a friend who wanted to share a story. Life recently had been frustratingly difficult, then a foolish action had caused a real physical injury. They had come after church for prayer.Apparently I'd prayed, "Lord, be kind enough to give my friend a break, there's enough happening without this injury, so how a out healing the injury?" An hour later the excruciating pain was gone and an ultrasound the next day showed the injury was real but no pain at all! The experience had magnified to my friend how important to God they are and how personally concerned he is, often with trifling things.The story was a real encouragement to me because I have felt like my prayers have been bouncing off the ceiling lately. Praying in faith is disconcerting.The gospel writers are telling a story and inviting us into it. It's a good story but very scary. Too scary for many to actually want to engage with. I find heaps of people who are too scared to join in the story Jesus invites us to live, yet his is the greatest story ever.Why is that? It's because the best stories always involve the most risk and uncertainty. It takes faith to believe it's worth the effort.As you begin 2011, are you living a good story?  Are there real obstacles, fears, history or resentment that's limiting or quelling the story you are living?The story I live should bring focus and clarity, it needs to make my life truer, it will bring me nearer to God because a good story will be making me brave like Jesus' story.A good prayer for ourselves and our loved ones; "Lord, help me/them to live a good story this year, one with You at its centre, trusting you that good stories always involve risk and faith, so remind me/them of this when I get scared and my faith is weak. In Jesus name. AmenBlessingsMalcolm