“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Although William Shakespeare
was probably not the first man to ever liken our earthly lives to a staged performance, he certainly
wasn’t the last. The idea that Shakespeare so eloquently described centuries ago continues to wrestle
with our imaginations today: is there some bigger plot running through these everyday lives we live?
If our lives were put into play form, or (perhaps more reasonably in the modern age) into a movie, what
they be like? Would they make sense? Would they even be enjoyable to watch? Questions like these are
easy to ponder, but a bit harder to answer. For Donald Miller, in his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, these tough-to-answer questions become much more real than Shakespeare’s poetic metaphor when two filmmakers, Ben and Steve, ask to make a movie about Don’s life. Suddenly, Don is thrown into an intense journey of introspection as he begins to put the story of his life onto paper in preparation for the silver screen. Faced with the apparent dullness of his real life and the need to create a more meaningful story for the movie version of himself, Don sets out on a quest to discover what makes a good story both on screen and in our daily lives.
Though I highly doubt I will ever be put in Don’s position, it is interesting to consider what a movie about my own life would look like. For the sake of imagination and this assignment, I’ve been asked to write out a ‘scene’ of my life that I view as important or remember vividly. Although I’m sure at least a dozen of my classmates have done the same, I’ve selected the day that I first came to know Jesus as my personal savior. I was seven years old at the time, at Vacation Bible school.
What the man up on stage was saying made sense. I’d heard it all before, what I’d grown up around knowing was the ‘gospel story’, but for some reason, I’d never fully understood it until that moment, when something finally clicked in my mind. I’d always heard that humans, myself included, were sinful and needed a savior, but I’d never really known it until then, and that’s when it all fell into place. There were dozens of other kids going up to the stage during the alter call, (it was a large VBS and a large church) and the VBS leaders were encouraging anyone who wished to be saved to go towards the front, but I was a bit of a shy kid, and I thought that God wouldn’t much mind where I was when I prayed, so I stayed in my chair and prayed silently to receive Jesus and His grace into my heart. I don’t remember a miraculous change or a sudden zest for life after that prayer, but I do remember a peace that I don’t remember ever feeling before that point. I didn’t tell anyone afterwards, until my family and I were riding back home at the end of VBS, and, as I watched the trees and asphalt whiz by, I casually mentioned my newfound salvation to my mother. I’ll never forget that moment (even if she doesn’t remember it) when she turned around to me, slightly taken off guard, and smiled.
The memory of my ‘salvation prayer’ itself is rather hazy – I remember it happening, but the details are a bit fuzzy. However, my memory of that ride home, from the color of the leaves outside to the newfound peace in my heart, to that wonderfully unforgettable look on my mom’s face, are all vividly clear. Why, I don’t know quite know, but I do know that if ever there were to be a movie of my life story, that moment would have to find its way in there somewhere. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, that was one of the most important (if not the most important) moments of my life. Perhaps that’s what’s made it stick with me all these years.
Truthfully, there probably won’t ever be a movie depicting my life story (and for the sake of audiences everywhere, I hope there never will be) but the point that Don Miller makes in his book is a thought provoking one: we are all living a story. The question is, when the credits begin to roll, can we honestly say it was a good story? I look forward to reading the rest of Miller’s book and seeing how he answers his own question.
Personally, I subscribe to a view that is, in some ways, a more literal interpretation of Mr. Shakespeare’s words. All the world’s a stage, all the men and women merely players. But our stage lies not in front of men, but before Almighty God, and just as the players on Shakespeare’s stage must project the lines that the playwright feeds them in order to tell the best tale, we also must live our lives in accordance with God’s will in order to live the life – that is, the story – that remains meaningful even as we give our final bows and the credits roll by. So while Don Miller continues searching for a better story in daily life and conferences, I will look instead to the best story ever told, the story of God’s Word, and strive to live my life according to that of my Lord and Savior – and, as it were, playwright – Jesus Christ.
Some final thoughts:
It’s easy enough to say that the story of our lives should revolve around Christ, but when it gets down to it, how can we tell what God desires for our unique life story – education, location of residence, friends, spouse, profession, etc.?
Does everything that happens in the world’s story truly have a purpose, or does the problem of evil, as a result of the Fall, create some events that have no meaning?
Though I highly doubt I will ever be put in Don’s position, it is interesting to consider what a movie about my own life would look like. For the sake of imagination and this assignment, I’ve been asked to write out a ‘scene’ of my life that I view as important or remember vividly. Although I’m sure at least a dozen of my classmates have done the same, I’ve selected the day that I first came to know Jesus as my personal savior. I was seven years old at the time, at Vacation Bible school.
What the man up on stage was saying made sense. I’d heard it all before, what I’d grown up around knowing was the ‘gospel story’, but for some reason, I’d never fully understood it until that moment, when something finally clicked in my mind. I’d always heard that humans, myself included, were sinful and needed a savior, but I’d never really known it until then, and that’s when it all fell into place. There were dozens of other kids going up to the stage during the alter call, (it was a large VBS and a large church) and the VBS leaders were encouraging anyone who wished to be saved to go towards the front, but I was a bit of a shy kid, and I thought that God wouldn’t much mind where I was when I prayed, so I stayed in my chair and prayed silently to receive Jesus and His grace into my heart. I don’t remember a miraculous change or a sudden zest for life after that prayer, but I do remember a peace that I don’t remember ever feeling before that point. I didn’t tell anyone afterwards, until my family and I were riding back home at the end of VBS, and, as I watched the trees and asphalt whiz by, I casually mentioned my newfound salvation to my mother. I’ll never forget that moment (even if she doesn’t remember it) when she turned around to me, slightly taken off guard, and smiled.
The memory of my ‘salvation prayer’ itself is rather hazy – I remember it happening, but the details are a bit fuzzy. However, my memory of that ride home, from the color of the leaves outside to the newfound peace in my heart, to that wonderfully unforgettable look on my mom’s face, are all vividly clear. Why, I don’t know quite know, but I do know that if ever there were to be a movie of my life story, that moment would have to find its way in there somewhere. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, that was one of the most important (if not the most important) moments of my life. Perhaps that’s what’s made it stick with me all these years.
Truthfully, there probably won’t ever be a movie depicting my life story (and for the sake of audiences everywhere, I hope there never will be) but the point that Don Miller makes in his book is a thought provoking one: we are all living a story. The question is, when the credits begin to roll, can we honestly say it was a good story? I look forward to reading the rest of Miller’s book and seeing how he answers his own question.
Personally, I subscribe to a view that is, in some ways, a more literal interpretation of Mr. Shakespeare’s words. All the world’s a stage, all the men and women merely players. But our stage lies not in front of men, but before Almighty God, and just as the players on Shakespeare’s stage must project the lines that the playwright feeds them in order to tell the best tale, we also must live our lives in accordance with God’s will in order to live the life – that is, the story – that remains meaningful even as we give our final bows and the credits roll by. So while Don Miller continues searching for a better story in daily life and conferences, I will look instead to the best story ever told, the story of God’s Word, and strive to live my life according to that of my Lord and Savior – and, as it were, playwright – Jesus Christ.
Some final thoughts:
It’s easy enough to say that the story of our lives should revolve around Christ, but when it gets down to it, how can we tell what God desires for our unique life story – education, location of residence, friends, spouse, profession, etc.?
Does everything that happens in the world’s story truly have a purpose, or does the problem of evil, as a result of the Fall, create some events that have no meaning?
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