Scott Rodin
Every great story has at least one pivot point, a place where the reader gets jolted by the unexpected. One scene that radically shifts perspective. Think of the moment in Star Wars when Darth Vader utters his dying words, “Luke, I am your father.” Or the shocking transformation when a persecutor of the church becomes the greatest missionary of all times in Saul’s Damascus road encounter with Jesus.
Great stories have these memorable moments where the story line takes a turn and the reader is swept along with it. We love these moments. They add color and intrigue to a plot.
The same is true for our own life’s story. Looking back, each of us can surely locate those moments when our story line changed dramatically. Maybe it was when we came to faith in Christ. For many of us that pivot point radically changed everything that came after it. Maybe it was falling in love with our eventual spouse, or the day we found out we were going to be a father or mother.
Tragedy may also mark our journey as a pivot point. People who survived near-death experiences report that life afterward took on a whole new meaning. In one instance, everything changed.
In my latest book, The Four Gifts of the King, there are several such pivot points. I won’t spoil them for you except to say that Steward’s journey brings him face to face with the deceptions that haunt all of us; the deceit of riches, the lure of power, the distortion of our true identity and the confusion of truth. Each land he visits tests his faith and challenges his concept of what is real as he searches for the king. His story line ebbs and flows with the choices he makes.
And so does ours. We must not miss the ways God works in these seminal moments. What have you learned in those life-shaping moments? What has God taught you about yourself … and Himself? So often our faith grows the most in these moments.
So here are three suggestions for your own story line.
First, remember them. Even take time to write them down. They have shaped you into the person you are today, so they are worth remembering.
Second, consider how they have shaped you. What did you learn? How were you changed? How different has your journey been since then?
Finally, share your story. Your pivot points can provide great encouragement to others who are facing their own. Bear witness to the plot line that marks your journey. They are the handprints of God on your life. Honor Him by telling of His faithfulness.