“On Fridays over here a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes. Unscripted. Unedited. Real. Your words. This shared feast.”

Today’s topic: STORY

GO.

I have quite an overactive imagination and waste a lot of time pretending; imagining how conversations might go that don’t ever happen. Imagining how an introduction to a new person I’m about to meet will play out. Choreograph the events of a conference before I’ve even stepped foot across the threshold of the meeting room.

I decide the story, the characters and the plot and watch it all unfold in my mind’s eye. Of course, each thing I imagine never happens the way I expect it to. And that’s okay…for the most part, I’m not married to the ideas anymore. I just have fun in the imagining.

I didn’t use to do that. I used to get very upset when things didn’t happen the way I had wanted them to. Ministry didn’t unfold like I planned. My relationships didn’t continue like they had in my mind. My career came and went without ever reaching the crescendo.

But one fine day, God stopped me cold and for the first time I really got it:

“If you can conceive it in your mind, then that’s so not what’s going to happen.”

Because He told me over and over that no eye has seen and no ear has heard what God has in store for those who love Him.

I’ve seen Him fulfill this in my life over and over and over again, too many times to count. And so I finally quit writing the script.

But when I saw the topic for today was “Story,” immediately my stomach fell. For I’ve been fearing that recently I’m once again falling into the habit of scripting plans again. Not just for fun, but for real.

An hour ago I was driving and telling God I’m afraid I’ve been up to my old antics. And how I really want Something, but more than It, I don’t want it to be me driving It but Him. As much as I want It, my heart’s desire more is for It to be His will. I just need to know it’s Him. Not me.

And then, immediately after, I received an email from a friend that said this:

“I hear Him say He is refining your focus and positioning you for all that is to come…just wanted to tell you God is thinking of you and so am I. His story in you is still a big part of the plan and He is so trustworthy…especially with the most painful parts of our stories!”

His story.

That was the Word I needed. It’s His story…in me…and it’s a big part of the plan. I’m driving it but He’s telling me where to go. I’m Danica and He’s my crew chief.

No one can write a story like He can. He’s the original Author. The First and the Last. He will forever be writing our stories, making them unimaginable — because if we can conceive it in our minds, it’s so not what’s going to happen. But when we allow Him to call the twists and turns, we get brief glimpses of where we’re headed…and then we can kick into high gear and move towards the goal to get the prize.