The end credits roll, the lights fade up as our eyes re-adjust and with murmurs the audience begins to file down the lines of cushioned seats and out of the cinema.
Movies are one of the most obvious means of story-telling that we encounter in the world today, but in fact stories are being told everywhere. Stories are being shared on the billboards we pass, the news feeds we follow and in the gossip we share. And what is really fascinating is that each of our lives is telling a story.
It's as we critique movies that we find the stories that are being propagated within our society.
There is the story that happiness is the ultimate goal. This narrative is evident in the rom-coms we watch, where the main protagonist searches for what will truly make them happy.
Second, there is the story about making ourselves safe. Embracing genres as diverse as action and sci-fi and political, some of the films we watch suggest that the world is scary and we need balance and security.
And then, third, there are the stories about making a mark on history. Recent wartime classics reveal what it looks like to do something significant that will go down in the annals of history.
And it's these three stories that entertain us on movie screens that we then easily adopt for our own personal stories. Perhaps we long to be happy. This is our motivation in life, the story we are living for. Or perhaps we find ourselves living in a world of so much uncertainty that our story is about finding safety in what we can hoard and build walls around. Or perhaps we are looking for how we can shape history, leaving our mark on the world. Our story is about finding out how we can be significant in some way. Three powerful story types.
I find it fascinating to dwell upon the question, 'What kind of a story is my life telling?' These three narratives that are celebrated in the movies we watch and the songs we sing and the social media feeds we follow are very enticing. But I believe that these stories are far too small and that ultimately they are dangerous. They are dangerous because they position ourselves at the centre of the story and I don't believe we were ever meant to be at the centre of our story.
My new book, Long Story Short, is an exploration of how we find our stories within the God story that we find in the Bible. It's this big story, that frames human history, that helps us ultimately find our true identity and an authentic story for our lives. It's a story that begins with the recognition that we are not just some cosmic accident but that a loving God created us. And it's a story that ends with a beautiful picture of God restoring all things to himself. It's a story with God becoming flesh and dying for us at the very centre.
My concern is that many of us, myself included, can call ourselves Christians but then actually find ourselves living a story far too small. And when this happens, we can very quickly forget our true identity, as children loved by God, and become defined by our state of happiness, our bank balance or the accolades we long for. We end up living confused stories.
And so Long Story Short is a challenge not to settle for the smaller stories the world has to offer but to keep focused on how we serve God's greater story. It's about being reminded of who we are and about discovering our role in his redemptive plans. As the end credits roll on our life here on earth, what kind of a story will your life have told?
Andy Frost is director of Share Jesus International and a popular author and speaker. His book 'Long Story Short' is published by SPCK, price £7.99.
