Writing Our Autobiographies

So, what’s the title of your book? C’mon.  Haven’t you thought about it? Dreamed about it? Written a few chapters?

            I think most of us have a book we’d like to write. We should. With all of the experiences we’ve had, people we’ve met, and children we’ve raised, volumes of wit and wisdom abound. We share our lives through phone calls, text messages, coffee shop conversations or Facebook. We’re just a few keystrokes of a computer, or in my case, a pen and a piece of paper, away from writing a book.

            Whether or not we feel we have something to say, and even if we never take the time to commit our thoughts to paper, a book is being written. Our decisions are dictating our actions, while thoughts are often revealed through our speech as our autobiographies are acted out.

            I love the way The Message Bible translates the words Paul wrote to encourage the Christians in Corinth. “Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ Himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.” (2 Corinthians 3:2,3)

Our books, or rather our lives run the gamut: action, mystery, comedy, or drama. Sometimes there’s a little of each in every chapter. Until then, as we live our lives, our book is being written. When possible, we edit our mistakes. As we grow, our character develops and deepens. Through it all, our life message is read by the world. Despite the opening lines, or the twists and turns of the plot, I know how it ends for the Christian. On the last page, we will triumph through Christ.

If you have the time, opportunity, and desire, write that book. In the meantime, may the theme of our lives remain centered on Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

Ronny may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com