The Story behind the Story

When was the last time you jumped to a conclusion about someone or some situation before you really knew what was going on?

Be honest. We do this all the time.

Recently, while I was out for an early morning run, I came across something rather unusual. There lying on the side of the road, half covered in mud, was a discarded pregnancy test. Now while running over the past couple of years, I've come across some pretty unusual items; cds, socks, bottles, underwear, and of course dead animals, to name a few. But this was the first time that I had come across a pregnancy test.
Honestly, my first thought was, "I wonder what teenage girl just found out she was pregnant, freaked out, and threw the test out the car window." But in that moment I began to wonder what story that discarded test would tell if it ever could. Was it really tossed away by a frightened teenage girl who'd just found out that she was pregnant? Or could it have been discarded by a soon to be father, who was fearful, apprehensive and uncertain about whether he was ready to be a dad?
Or maybe a mother threw it away because though she'd been holding on to it as a reminder of the fact that she was going to have a baby, now that hope has been devastated by a recent miscarriage. Or maybe it was a frustrated couple, who are on the brink of giving up hope because they just found out once again, that they still are not able to conceive.

While running that bright sunny morning, I became very aware of how quickly and easily we can jump to conclusions about situations or people, before really knowing their stories. Maybe it was a teenage girl who discarded that test, but maybe it wasn't. But I'll never know, because I'll never know the story behind the story. But there are people around us whose stories we can get to know, and should get to know.

Last Sunday we concluded a 4 week series in the Effect entitled "Stories." During it, members of the Effect told their stories. They shared their joys, struggles, triumphs, pains, mistakes, their hopes, dreams and passions. It was powerful stuff! I watched as people connected with each other on a whole new level - sharing, praying, laughing and crying together. Through it we became better acquainted with the stories behind the faces and saw the fingerprints of God all over lives.

You can't always judge a book by it's cover - I want to be committed to judge less, listen more, and always seek to know the story behind the story. There is often something beautiful in the broken.