Wednesday, 4 August 2021

Life Stories

 In a couple of days it’s the 2nd annual family celebration of Macintosh Day.  Rox and I got to thinking last year about how, with our oldest about to start school, we wanted to embed in our kids a really strong vision of our family values and identity.  Since Jolie and Ezra both have winter birthdays, a summer celebration on our anniversary seemed a good idea.  Hence, on the 6th of August every year we shall spend the day just with our little clan, good food, giving gifts and building our own traditions to make the occasion special.

One of the things we want to do is to tell our story.  You may have a mind for facts and figures, but stories have a way of sinking far more deeply into the memory.  We want our kids to understand that they are a part of the story God has been writing in our family.  We want these stories of God’s goodness to us to outlive us and outlast us.  And we want our kids to grow up to be storytellers too – to know that every new age and stage of their lives are stories waiting to be written. 

I’ve used this space to record some special stories – stories of God’s faithfulness through long years, stories of His providence and care for us in the mundane and the miraculous.  And I thought I would take the opportunity to add to the anthology.  There are of course things I won’t share here.  We believe in a God who engages with us in every area of life, from the private to the professional, and not everything is for public consumption.  Frankly, some of my favourite stories – of God’s favour on my career, of his kindness at work in friendship and family relationships – are best shared one to one.

So with all of that said, you can feel free to read on.  It may feel like a slide show from a holiday you weren’t on.  Things that mean a lot to those that lived through them, that lose their impact with a little distance.  Or maybe it’ll prompt you to think about your own stories.  If you’re a follower, maybe you’ll be reminded to look back and trace the grace of God at work in your own life.  If you’re not yet persuaded about all things Jesus, maybe you can just count these stories as the accounts of witnesses to things you’ve not yet seen and heard.  But if so, I’d invite you to bear in mind that God has no favourites.  Or rather, we’re all His favourites.  He loves the Macintoshes, of that I am sure.  But I’m also convinced that stories like ours are not just celebrations but invitations.  An invitation to give over the movie rights to your life, and to watch on in awe as the master director work wonders with the ordinary stuff of your every day.

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