One of the writing assignments for my Introduction to Psychology course is a five-page autobiography. Since few of us know the truth about ourselves it is most interesting to see what nineteen-year-olds have to say about themselves. Last semester I received one paper filled with daring-do. It was the story of a hero, a knight in shining armor, a savior of small children who would otherwise be victimized on the streets of a giant metropolis. The paper closed with the following sentence. “This is me in my head. The real me isn’t worth the ink.”
I found myself wondering how little different he was from all of us. If we were asked to write the story of our lives would we write the truth? If you have a Face Book page, is it really you? Or is it some dream person you wish were behind the face in your carefully selected picture? I wonder how many of us actually write our lives or do we just let life happen to us? Are we really the protagonist in our biography or are we playing a supporting role to others who are leading and directing?
All of us find ourselves on roads we chose years or decades ago. The question is do we have to stay on that road or can we alter directions. Can we say or are we brave enough to say, “God help me change. I want to go some other place than where this is leading”? I know you have good sense and want to improve your life. I know you want to make a difference before you are so old you have to be led about by others. So pray for the wisdom to write a life that is worth the ink.
Written by Roger Bothwell on May 11, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org