Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary author, speaker, and former pastor.
Joan Didion once wrote, “We tell stories in order to live.” The stories that we believe shape our understanding and interaction with the world. It doesn’t matter if the story is true, but it does matter, a great deal, if we believe it to be true. People are meaning making machines. We can’t help ourselves. We are able to ascribe truth and meaning to just about anything… But we must be careful with this ability to make our own meaning. If we are not mindful, we might end up putting too much meaning on something toxic, corrosive, or untrue. Then the toxicity of those stories will seep into every part of our lives and create a deep sense of unease. Right now, the world feels uneasy (which is putting it lightly), but the truth is that life has always felt uneasy. There has never been a time in human history without conflict or confusion (humans are also pretty good at doing that too). It is foolish to try to avoid that uneasiness because it will always be with us, but it is also foolish to believe stories that try to convince us that life is completely unmanageable. What we need are stories of preparation, not panic. We need inputs, reminders, and communities that reinforce virtuous stories that inspire actions of faith, hope, and love. We also must accept our own failures and move through life with humility and honesty about our limitations ready to correct our errors and confess our sins. For there is a freedom that comes when we focus on what we can control and let go of that we cannot…Being prepared is about the small daily decisions that keep us from panic. There is so much we can’t control, but we can control how prepared we are to respond to life’s uncertainties the way Jesus would.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. [Philippians 4:8]
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