In a land and time not too far away, there was a little girl who grew up with an awesome family in an awesome house and, overall, had an awesome childhood.  That goes without saying, the little girl was awesomely behaved and learned every lesson the easy way and on the first time.  Blah blah blah blah awesome blah.

When this little girl was not so little anymore, she went to an awesome college and cruised on through, acing every course she took and easily making awesome friends along the way.  Surprise, surprise.  Again, nothing less than awesome here.  Blah awesome blah awesome blah.

Upon completion of college, she then moved to the most awesome of cities where she, of course, transitioned awesomely and succeeded in all that she put her head and hand to.  Safe to assume, she had an awesome career and, in the meanwhile, met Mr. Awesomely Right and had awesome kids with him.  Blah blah awesome blah blah.

And she blah blah blah lived with her family awesomely ever after.

Cool story, huh.

You know, I’ve heard it said that all sunshine and no rain creates deserts.  Now recently, I’ve been challenged by a friend to think about the story that I want my life to tell, and well, I want my life to tell an awesome one.  Who doesn’t want that?

Yet, why is it again that I inherently cling to all that is safe and predictable and, to be frank, boring?  Surely, every good story needs conflict and contrast, suspense and drama?  It requires good.  Then it also requires some bad and then more good but then more bad, though hopefully ending up on good.

With that said, I welcome the highs with the lows if it means living a life of eternal significance.  I embrace the belly laughs along with the ugly cries if it means having a story worth telling and ultimately, a story other people find worth hearing, and I begin down the road of love as well as suffering, as John Piper puts it, knowing that the deepest lessons and sweetest encounters with God are very rarely learned on sunny days.

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To the author and finisher of my story, I am trusting you to write me a great one.