“The music is all around you, all you have to do is listen.”

Thanks to those who have prodded me to continue to keep this thing going. And thank you to August Rush for prompting today’s thought – “The music is all around you, all you have to do is listen.”

I watched this movie the other night after a more-than-needed hangout time with by buddy, Evan. Aside from the fact that the little boy in this movie was devastatingly awkward most of the time, I enjoyed this movie so much that I watched it twice (sort of on accident) and ended up going to bed at 4:30AM.

This was a story about two long lost lovers trying to find each other years after their magical one night copulation which bred “August Rush.” August was wrongly (and unbeknowst by his mother) placed in an orphanage after he was born. All three (father, mother, child) have this eerie ability to ‘hear the music of our lives’ which eventually brings them all together at the end of the movie. Sound too good to be true? Hey, it’s a movie.

In the last month’s hiatus of not working, going to school (or doing anything really), I have been reflecting about life and our place in it as followers of Christ. I read a quote one time that expressed life with Christ as one of singing, dancing, and leaping. Thinking about our lives this way makes you feel like you’re in the midst of a great song as you sing with the chorus; or an amazing play as you are acting and dancing among the other actors. I’d like to think of our lives as this sort of thing, one where we are writing our own stories that fit in line with the Grand Story that the Father has been writing since the Beginning.

Which ushers me to ask this questions of myself: “What is the story I am writing?”

I am a fan of life and all the experiences we get to enjoy together. We get to share in our wisdom with one another, to learn and love, grumble, complain, and – yes! – even cry. These things make our lives worth waking up morning after morning with the faithful certainty that God is good and loves us as we are. Because of this love we receive, we are charged to take a risk of faith and be truth-tellers in hopes of transforming a broken world alongside our Redeemer, Christ Jesus.

So I ask myself the question again, “What is the story I am writing?” Not even knowing how to answer this, more questions fog up my mind. “Is it even a good story? What’s the point of my story? Where’s the climax? Has it happened already (I hope not…)? What’s the next scene? Are the present characters in the story aiding to the progression of the story? WHAT IS THE THEME SONG TO MY STORY?!?!”

That last one’s a big one. Not really though.

I’ve been reflecting a lot the last month on my ‘life narrative’ and these very questions that I have listed above. The biggest question I’ve come up with (besides the theme song one) is one that bugs me a lot.

If I died, would the world lose a vital member of its community?

Before you call the suicide prevention hotline for me, hear me out. What I mean is this: If I were taken to be with Christ today, would the world community be losing someone it absolutely needs? Do I make that much of a difference in people’s lives? The hope of this would be a resounding ‘yes!’ And that’s what I hope it is.

My desire is that if I die, the world would mourn in such a way that they would know deep down they lost someone that compassionately contributed to the community and was a friend who helped point out the Kingdom of God and the work He is doing on earth.

That would be my hope for everyone. It doesn’t seem like it would be a good story if it were anything other than that. In the midst of this world of pain and heartache, I pray that we are able to hear the music around us and see that we are surrounded by beauty – the wonder of Creation, art, culture, the sounds of love and laughter, the whispers of hopes and the shouts of celebrations of new life, transformation, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

May we be good listeners as we act out our own stories.