One Life. Two stories.

Life is an ever-changing journey. Now that our childhood days seem to be a long way behind us, we are quickly transitioning from adolescence into young adulthood. As we grow up, there is an abundance of unique experiences that we encounter along the way.

A season of intense study can quickly follow a downtime of peace and rest. Days of unrest soon lead to a brief pause, which only directs life into a more rapid motion. With each season of life, we are faced with a unique set of challenges. These challenges serve as opportunities for us to mature and develop. As we face many challenges in our life, what keeps us motivated? At the end of the day, where do we find our joy?

One way to keep motivated in life is by reflecting on our personal accomplishments and convince ourselves of how capable we are to overcome all our challenges. If we examine the popular culture of our days, we will soon notice this kind of thinking embedded in every aspect of its life, especially its entertainment. Movies, music, and games place human beings in the center of their story. Each story that is portrayed in our popular culture exalts and glorifies man and his competence to overcome any obstacle.

This thinking is completely contradictory to the narrative of the Bible. If we carefully examine the stories that are revealed in Scripture, we will soon notice that God is in the center of each story. The book of Genesis shows that God decided to begin His story. For this reason, history has always been about His story.

Since God is the ultimate story maker, He himself intervenes into history as a man Jesus, to bring us out of our sinful state, bringing about the best story twist that this world has ever seen, being crucified by sinners, for sinners. But that is not all, Jesus is then raised to life, being enthroned as the ultimate hero, receiving all authority over heaven and earth, being supreme over all. This is the greatest story, the ultimate story.

There are only two stories that can motivate us to overcome the countless challenges that we face in life. One imagines a world where man can overcome any obstacle by his own power. Another one reveals the reality of a powerful, loving God that saves sinners and empowers them to do his work. What story captivates you?