I'm not a writer, but my life is a story.

Donald Miller introduced me to the idea of my life being a story, about how a character undergoes challenges and comes out on the other end a different person.  

Character transformation.

Learning new things.

Learning tough things.

Also, unlearning things.

I think I'm in the midst of a character transformation.  I think I'm at a turning point in my story.  Don (yeah, I call him Don) tells a story about how he climbed a mountain with a group of people (which is a much greater feat than I'm describing) and how yes, they could have taken the easy road to get to their destination.  They could have even taken a bus.

But they didn't.  

And the view at the end was that much more amazing for it.

He said, "The story made us different characters than we would have been if we had skipped the story and showed up at the ending an easier way.” 

So, we push through the struggles, confusion, hurt, and exhaustion---because yes, it is exhausting. We ask ourselves terribly difficult questions.  We dig through introspective layers to get to the answers, sometimes only to find more questions.

And we come out on the other side, changed.  

I know what I want from this turning point in my story.

(that sounds controlling)

I want to be more compassionate.

I want to do things that matter.

I want to be more encouraging.

I want to be more in-tune with the needs around me.

I want to challenge myself.

I want to challenge others.

I want to have a better grasp on humility.

I want to learn to love people the way they need it instead of the way I want to love them.

I no longer want to be afraid of failing.

Oh, and, I want to remember that my story isn't about me, entirely.  We are all a part of something far bigger and greater.  As Don wrote, we are all trees in a story about a forest.

It's a challenging chapter, this one. 

And yet, it's overwhelmingly beautiful and it's full of undeserved grace.