I attended Donald Miller’s STORYLINE CONFERENCE in Nashville last week and his third exercise challenged us to create “character files.” Writers will often have actors in mind as they write their novel because they want to picture the character and put flesh on the personalities. Writers will keep files outlining the impact the character has on the story, the challenges they had to overcome and the attributes that frame the character. Donald challenged us to create a “character file” for ourselves by identifying the heroes and heroines in our life (living or deceased) and what characteristics they exhibited that we’d like to start living in our own story.
Here are four people who I admire:
1. A friend who is steadfast in his faith and unshakeable in his trust in God even through the tragedies of losing a child in a car accident and placing another child in drug rehabilitation
2. A friend who was willing to give up his personal time to help a stranger rebuild their house after the Nashville flood
3. A friend who has the ability to look at time as God’s time and never sees any conflicts between what we are called to do and what we want to do
4. Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has the ability to inspire an entire country to forgive.
Donald then asked us to provide a composite portrait of our heros so that we can know where we need to head:
"I want to become a…steadfast Christian who lives in the world but exhibits Jesus’ love and faithfulness in day-to-day life by loving others, even strangers, recognizing that all my time and monies belong to God and to trust God in all things, even the painful seasons of life, forgiving all wrongs and praying only, “Thy will be done.”
Can you name four or five non-Biblical heroes and heroines in your life and list the characteristics that you admire about them? Do a composite portrait of them starting with, “I want to become a…”.
Then, how can you start living the story of your heroes?
Blessings,
Agatha