Everyone Has A Story

Today, I went clothes shopping for my husband and daughter. I took my two-year-old with me and made sure to put a package of fruit snacks into my purse to pull out at just the right time. We went through the Starbucks drive through (thanks to a gift card from my husband). After that, we proceeded to the one department store that was closest to home and then the consignment store to look for a "spinning dress." When the shopping was completed, I came home, made lunch for myself and four kids, and then encouraged them to finish their jobs and school work. That put us at about 1:00 and the day continued in more details and comings and goings.

What I didn't think much about today, is that everyone else had their own stuff going on at the same time as I did. Somebody somewhere woke up in a hospital this morning. Somebody was clothes shopping at the same time and place as me. Somebody didn't have a gift card and so couldn't go through the Starbucks drive through. Somebody received a promotion today. Somebody celebrated a birthday. Sometimes I live my life so self-focused, I'm afraid I miss out on a lot.

It's easy for us to get wrapped up in our own lives and not notice those around us. It's easy to forget that everyone has a story when we are so involved in our own. Jesus is a perfect example of living His story while at the same time, paying careful attention to other people's stories. In fact, His mission, the purpose for His story, was to impact other people's stories. As we become more Christ-like, shouldn't that be our mission too? Unfortunately, we tend to get buried in the pages of our own sadness, happiness, or routine and forget to interact with others.

Here are some questions that I am asking myself:

1. Am I so wrapped up in my own story that I am not a part of other's stories?
2. Is my routine so busy that I am not taking time to see other people around me and listen to their stories?
3. What can I change in my schedule, routine, or attitude so that I can better appreciate and enter into other people's stories?
4. If I am a part of other's stories, am I a having a Christ-like impact on them?
5. Whose story can I intentionally become a part of?