In his book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Donald Miller proposes the idea that humans have a basic need for stories, and that stories shape our lives, define who we are, and change us on a basic level. Miller himself talks about several different stories that have shaped his life, including the absence of a father in his life.
My own life has been shaped by many different stories, and although I can’t possibly list them all here, I’ll mention a few. The first story is the fact that I am a triplet. Although we’re not identical and not too similar in personality, my sisters have undoubtedly had a profound effect on who I am today. Growing up with two sisters who are the exact same age as me has some interesting results. For instance, we have a habit of finishing each other’s sentences. Although it annoys some people, we can understand each other perfectly. Sometimes, I find myself pausing in conversation when I get lost and halfway expect one of my sisters to jump in and pick up where I left off, even if they’re not with me at the time. Conversely, growing up as a triplet has also made me a rather fast talker. The normal amount of sibling competition is tenfold in a triplet relationship, and as a young triplet bouncing around trying to tell dad about some amazing thing before my sisters could beat me to it, I learned to speak quickly. The habit has stuck around, and I still have people asking me to slow down and say things carefully.
Another important story in my life is my education – particularly my high school education. I was homeschooled from kindergarten on up through high school, which undoubtedly shaped how I think, learn, write, and view schoolwork. However, high school in particular shaped me in the ways that I think and learn. Worldview Classes, the school I attended in high school, emphasized the study of worldviews (rather predictable) and their impact on culture. Though the work was hard at times, these classes constantly challenged me to examine why I believed what I believed, and consider the possibility that I needed to rethink some of my beliefs. They taught me the importance of engaging culture as a Christian, and of knowing and understanding, rather than just absorbing whatever I am told. Also, these classes heavily affected how I think about college and what I would like to pursue as a career. I suppose I could shorten this whole past paragraph down into one sentence: the classes I took in high school changed my life, which just goes to prove Miller’s point that stories shape lives.
Miller also describes how people change throughout their lives. In fact, he asserts that people can’t help but to change. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, people are constantly changing and morphing and growing into someone new.
Another important story in my life is my education – particularly my high school education. I was homeschooled from kindergarten on up through high school, which undoubtedly shaped how I think, learn, write, and view schoolwork. However, high school in particular shaped me in the ways that I think and learn. Worldview Classes, the school I attended in high school, emphasized the study of worldviews (rather predictable) and their impact on culture. Though the work was hard at times, these classes constantly challenged me to examine why I believed what I believed, and consider the possibility that I needed to rethink some of my beliefs. They taught me the importance of engaging culture as a Christian, and of knowing and understanding, rather than just absorbing whatever I am told. Also, these classes heavily affected how I think about college and what I would like to pursue as a career. I suppose I could shorten this whole past paragraph down into one sentence: the classes I took in high school changed my life, which just goes to prove Miller’s point that stories shape lives.
Miller also describes how people change throughout their lives. In fact, he asserts that people can’t help but to change. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, people are constantly changing and morphing and growing into someone new.
This becomes more evident in my own life every day. The huge shift from living at home to living at college is changing me in many ways. Since I arrived at JBU, I’ve become much more independent than I used to be. I’m juggling more activities and responsibilities than I normally would, and I’ve been stretched to engage more socially that I am used to. These things will inevitably change me. But how will they change me? I think this dilemma focuses in on the real challenge in Miller’s point: People change. You will change. But will it be for better, or worse?
Much like the characters in a novel or a movie, all men and women will develop as characters throughout the course of their life. They will grow, learn, develop, and change. But what will they end up as? A hero? A villain? An innocent by-stander? These are the questions that Miller seems to be posing. Miller holds the position that you should aim for the change that you want the most, and overcome all conflict to achieve it. My question for Miller is this: Is achieving a change simply because you want it even possible?
Personally, I believe that the only way a person will truly ever change for the better is by the power of God. I can say confidently that all people change, for better or worse. Faced with this knowledge that I too will change on a regular basis, I must determine how I will change for the better. To do this, as a Christian, I look first to the author of the story that changes me: God. He is the author, and He knows exactly how I fit into the story and what I will learn and when I will grow. Surely, then, if He is with me as He promises he is, he will help me change for the better, into the character he wrote me to be. That is my hope and prayer as I continually change, that I will do so according to the will of God.
Final thoughts:
Is it possible to change yourself for the better without God's help? If it is, what standard are you using to define 'better'?
Miller defines a story as "a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it". How, if at all, would the Christian's definition of 'story' differ from Miller's definition?
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