The Rest of the Story
We’ve had a lot of firsts lately—the kind of firsts that aren’t milestones, but to my nostalgic inclinations are magic. First road trips of the summer. First strawberries from the farmer’s market. First maneuverings in a power wheelchair. First skinned knees because shorts are out in full force. First time (of many) that my girl will grow out her bangs. First ice cream where they could pick allllll the toppings. First time a little body felt just a little too big in my lap.
None of this is earth-shattering. None of it you could cue up a soundtrack to and get weepy over unless you were part of the making of the film. It’s the kind of stuff I notice because I’m in it. Really in it.
I catch myself wondering which of these moments, if any, make it into my kids’ stockpile of memories. I know I will hoard them up, Scrooge McDuck-style, but I do wonder which ones, for them, will stick.
All this got me thinking about the stories of the men and women in the Bible. If they made a “behind the scenes” version of the Old Testament, what would David say in the outtakes of the Psalms? Actually, David pretty much just laid it all out there. But I’d like to ask Bathsheba a few questions. And Noah’s wife too—I’d like to see how she handled life on the boat. I’d also ask Rachel, “So really, how did it feel to watch your sister get pregnant over and over again with your husband’s babies?” And I’d skip ahead to the Gospels and ask Paul what the thorn in his side really was and if he ever missed (just a little) the power and notoriety that came with being a Pharisee. Oh! And boy would I have a few questions for John about all of Revelation. I mean, for heaven’s sake (literally) how did he ever sleep after that?
My point?
There’s so much more going on in a person’s life that we really can’t take in from just one or a lifetime of encounters. One snarky comment in the grocery store aisle or one great Instagram pic just doesn’t show the full spectrum of a human soul. Even our own memories are not as trustworthy as we’d like. We also can’t assume we know all the hidden mysteries of the Bible either, which is what makes heaven such an amazing prospect—it will be the Google-cam 360 view of everything we’ve always wanted to see and know.
I think I spend too much time trying to “pin down” people and situations and give them a label, but honestly, that’s not what I’m called to do. I’m called to take in as much as I can and let God absorb the rest. There’s always more to the story. If I can remember that, perhaps I’ll get a few more “firsts” of my own—new realizations, new friends, new quirks to my own personality as I get older and more complex like a nice bottle of wine.
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A big thank you from Jamie on The Mom Gene!
