What does the story of your life say about you? Does it speak of heroic journeys into new and exciting lands of achievement and growth? Or is it an angry and repetitive diatribe against the vagaries of a wantonly malicious universe? Does it sing with finely crafted phrasing and uplifting themes? Or is it plodding, dreary and full of errors, omissions and clich?s?
Some people feel their destiny to be carved in stone. I believe that our lives are an ongoing exercise in creative writing and as such it is always possible to cease following the storyline that we have been using to illustrate our lives with up to this point, open to a fresh page and start anew. In fact, the Universe itself does this every moment of every day, continually reinventing itself and setting up the storyline for the next moment to come.
I refer to this eternal and ongoing process as divine authorship. In the original definition of the phrase, divine authorship referred to spiritual or religious books, writings or other communications that came directly from God (such as the Ten Commandments or the handwriting on the wall in the Christian religion) or works inspired directly from such communications (such as the Koran of Islam, which Muslims hold to be Mohammad's direct transcription of his visions from Allah). But through an extension of that thought, it becomes obvious that the Universe itself, and everything in it, is a direct result of this divine penmanship and that we, who have been given the slightest spark of divine ability to create, also have a hand in this story-boarding of the Universe.
There are, of course, whole libraries of interwoven threads that make up the totality of divine authorship, but here are the two main aspects that relate to us, specifically, as authors of our own lives:
? What God has written into our personal book of life before our birth:
This is the basic first draft of our story, complete with our initial cast of characters, circumstances, gifts and burdens. Although this sets the tone for the story to come, it by no means limits it or prevents change.
? What we, as children of God through divine guidance ? or through lack of it ? choose to add to this rough outline:
We can choose to simply "flesh it out," following along the pre-set path with little deviation from the bare bones. We can choose to add unsavory characters to it, write in scenes of unnecessary strife and dither away our page-count following dead-end plots and dissonant sub-themes such as martyrdom and victimhood. Or we can decide to go all out, pursuing every possibility and exploring every option fearlessly and with faith in the original Outliner, to try and squeeze every last ounce of potential out of what was originally given to us.
It is through this latter form of divine authorship that we can truly recreate our lives in whatever manner we so desire ? and though them, so too the world we live in.
Of course, the words come easier for some than for others. For the unfortunate or the unfocused, life may eventually begin to resemble nothing so much as a pile of angrily crumpled pages full of false starts, scratch-outs and meandering themes, while luckier individuals seem to have just the right words fall into place precisely as their pen glides forward to write them. But each of us, should we choose to take pen and ink firmly in hand, can work at our craft with determination and commitment, with the guidance and love of the Creator at our backs and the intent to follow our highest calling in our hearts, until there is literally no limit to the story we create for ourselves.
The Army had a commercial at one time during which they asked whether or not anybody would want to read the "book" of your life. But in truth, there is a far more important question at stake: When you pass on into your afterlife, will your life's tale make the heavenly "best seller" list, showing how one person overcame adversity, fear and indifference to make the best use the gift God so generously gave to them? Or will it simply end up on the public service racks as a cautionary tale about the tragedy of unlimited potential gone to waste?
Through the gift of divine authorship, we can each seek individual instruction and assistance from the Original Author in rewriting, tweaking and polishing the manuscript of our lives until we're happy with the results. But it's final form, the ending of which none of us has the ability to foresee, will ultimately be reviewed by the most important ? and luckily for us, the most loving ? critic of all. Don't disappoint your readership. Pick up your pen and make something of your life.
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of sonipitts.com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.
last minute cleaning help Arlington Heights ..1. The name Uriel means "Light of God" or "Flame... Read More
When King David was old and well advanced in years?... Read More
The bible has many accounts throughout time that He used... Read More
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken... Read More
Following are 17 questions that can be used as a... Read More
With those words recorded in Exodus 15:26, God proclaims to... Read More
I have sent out hundreds of press releases for my... Read More
The word "psychology" is the combination of two terms -... Read More
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my... Read More
Far to many people have become "followers" rather than BEING... Read More
With another year full of family events coming upon us,... Read More
Those five words are from a song that I remember... Read More
We are apart of all that is, our consciousness spring... Read More
What power do we hold individually in the midst of... Read More
As Christian's we are often very independent. We try to... Read More
Carl Jung, 20th century psycho analyst and dream researcher, said:... Read More
Of the many individuals who were touched through the ministry... Read More
Life is like an obstacle course in which we run... Read More
"It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown.... Read More
Prayer. It's the foundation of a Christian mom's life. Why?... Read More
The story of Cain and Abel stands very close to... Read More
The Key to True Love...Do you long for love?Most of... Read More
My mentor, a brilliant Ph.D, with a powerful marriage counseling... Read More
How does God see you? Does He like what He... Read More
It is important and necessary that we regularly spend time... Read More
same day cleaning service Wilmette ..In Habakkuk, the prophet cries out in a lament complaint... Read More
There is a concept in Jewish mystical thought known as... Read More
You can't help but feel a sense of electricity in... Read More
Surveys show that religion and spirituality play a central role... Read More
"He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written... Read More
Today we do not experience great manifestations of God as... Read More
Most forms of psychotherapy I know either tries to help... Read More
Faith is the remarkable force that gives us the empowerment... Read More
The question, "Is God Dead?", first entered my consciousness when... Read More
I come face to face with self whenever you come... Read More
Imagine yourself marooned on a vast deserted island. You have... Read More
Qohelet had grown old with time when he delivered his... Read More
Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the... Read More
Being a Christian does not exempt us from having to... Read More
Tea-totalling Texans? Them's fightin' words!I live in a small Texas... Read More
Were you lied to as newborn Christian? I was...let me... Read More
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you... Read More
An exam is a test that is given at the... Read More
Sundered Knight:Although the world, Denies the weak aid and justice,... Read More
Among those arriving to the stadium early were two old... Read More
Realisation and repeated memorization of the true knowledge is the... Read More
Matthew 2:19-23 The Return to Nazareth19 But when Herod died,... Read More
Most of us know that the universe - God's universe... Read More
It was said that Caesar Augustus one night consulted his... Read More
The words 'new age' and 'spirituality' can have people running... Read More
Spirituality |