By Kelly Carr

Surreptitiously I crept to the hall closet, making my 7-year-old self as minuscule as possible. With furtive glances about me, I swiftly, silently opened the door and dove inside, closing it behind. Heart pounding, I tried to slow my rapid breath. This was it—the moment of truth. With trembling fingertips I reached into the darkness and through the hanging coats. The moment seemed an eternity, and I dared to hope.

Thud.

My hand hit solid wall. Dejected, I faced the fact—this was not a portal to Narnia.

I love getting lost in a story, even as an adult. I’m caught up in childlike wonder by creative characters and twisting plots in books, in movies, onstage. I escape my own life for a while, and that’s relaxing, energizing, and even motivating. Perhaps I’m especially drawn to narratives that, as C. S. Lewis understood, have reflections of glory woven within.

Yet we don’t have to look far to find daring rescue, enthralling romance, confounding mystery, or spine-tingling suspense. Life provides plenty of each. God designed us to live with abandon. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

True, our plots aren’t always appealing. The scars brought on by sin are painful. But the Master Storyteller can redeem the most harrowed protagonists if we entrust ourselves to him. He provides hope that we matter now and we matter for eternity. Though we’ve heard an old, old story, Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf is real and offered the same today as when God first planned his heroic act. After heart-wrenching loss he can bring wondrous awe.

How has God’s better story affected yours? How has he changed your view of yourself and others? Your chapters are intertwined with mine as we are in this narrative together. Let’s live our story to the full.