Storyline

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”- Maya Angelou

Oscar season is upon us. This Sunday we will see celebrities walking the red carpet due to their roles in high quality films.

To be honest, I am kind of jealous. I would love to be next to that red carpet just to see some of my favorite celebrities.

Anyway, there are several films that are up for best picture. So, naturally, I had to look up the criteria to be nominated for Best Picture. Apparently there is a significant process, but the shortened version is a ballot is sent out to academy members, they write down their favorites, and are told “to follow their hearts.”

Of course, there are some rules and the film must prove they meet certain criteria or who knows what would happen with that voting.

Now, a film that reaches the prestigious point of “Best Picture” nominee must hold a higher standard. The writing must be very good. The acting needs to hold up. Most importantly, the story must be engaging or the voters most likely wouldn’t watch it.

It is always interesting to listen to actors speak about their characters and how they could relate to their story. The story is what keeps a movie alive. If the story is weak, then the audience is lost. Then we complain about spending eight to ten bucks on a ticket, but that popcorn was good.

The great thing about life is the fact that there is no weak story. We all have our stories to hold on to. We have lived a life that can hold an audience. God has given us all a great story to tell.

Just like any movie storyline, our life can make someone happy, sad, shocked, in awe, or all emotional extremes. No matter what, it’s our story and it is worth telling.

We are God’s best picture nominee. We need to step into His story that HE has written for the world. We need to engage in the story that He has us living. We need to own our story.

A friend of mine, Ray Nelson, shared this on his Facebook page: “There’s something about telling your story that causes you to revisit your pain. When we share our pain in the right environment, healing can take place and we begin to see anew.” Yeah, he’s pretty deep.

This is so true for some of you reading this today. Your story may have some pain in it. Your story may bring up emotions in you that you didn’t know you had. However, your story could influence and enhance the life of someone else if you are willing to share it.

The storyline of life is something we all share. We all have our own book we are writing. We need to own it, share it, and allow God to reveal the Best Picture nominee through all of us.

Question: What’s your story?