Life is a Story
“I always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller.” -G.K. Chesterton
I love this quote by G.K. Chesterton because it highlights the loving imagination behind our very existence! You are a part of a grand story! Sometimes this story is scary and sad; however, like the heroes of old knew, there is a goodness that will prevail. We are to defend that goodness and spread it everywhere we go, like the scattering of water droplets in sunlight or leaves in the wind! Like one of my favorite hobbits once said, “There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”
Okay, you may be thinking, “I am no hero, Nora Lamar.” Well, Samwise didn’t think he was either. That brings me back to the Chesterton quote. Let it be a reminder that without you, the Story would fall apart. Whether our role is grand or very humble, it is still vital and infinitely important to the great Story-teller, who created us. In Professor Tolkien’s recounting of the old tales from Middle Earth, Lord Elrond speaks to the hobbits’ role in the quest to destroy the ring of power:
Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.
Those small hands did great, beautiful, and heroic things, friend! And what of the small hands that remained in the Shire, unaware of what was going on with Frodo and Sam? They continued to perform those small everyday tasks that make up life. You would find them laboring in their fields and gardens, washing laundry, preparing meals, raising children (supremely important), performing good deeds, loving one another, learning, growing, and creating all kinds of beauty with art and music, inspired by the beauty around them. And yes, much of what they did was mundane, inconvenient, and troublesome, just like in today’s world. But without these hobbits, humans, dwarves, and elves that were not involved in a dangerous “adventure,” as hobbits called quests, life would cease to exist. The quest would be pointless. The story would be over.
In conclusion, St. Peter also says to humble oursleves under God’s mighty hand. So, you see—that hobbit-like humility is valuable to the great Story-teller Himself. We always want “writing advice” from other more successful writers, and that is okay, but don’t fail to ask the most creative person you know: He who created you, your imagination, your very soul. He not only created you and every atom around you, but He also made a way for you to defeat evil and aspire to what is true, beautiful, and good. Since He, in his love, wants us to participate in the writing of our part of the grand Story, let us embrace this truth with joy and learn from the Author Himself as the ink flows from his golden pen!
Happy writing, my friend!
Nora Lamar