History as His Story

We live an era ripe with a taste for rewriting history. Some want to rewrite their family or personal history, some wish to rewrite American history, some are intent on rewriting the history of planet earth, and others want to rewrite Biblical history. The common link among these groups is self-interest. Each wants to rewrite history to fit their preferred and predetermined narrative which inevitably benefits their own specific group or agenda.

Of course, they’ll often argue that the history they wish to rewrite somehow benefited the original authors and they are simply seeking to remove the original bias with which their target history was written. Perhaps there is some merit to such perspective. But if we remove a bias that we deem harmful just to replace it with a bias others find hurtful, have we made progress?

Clearly, there is no such thing as objectivity when it comes to history. In my office, I often give couples two minutes to write descriptions of a wall before them. Husband and wife are sitting on the same couch, viewing the same wall, at the same time, and in the same light; and no two descriptions are ever the same. In fact, typically when I read the two descriptions, I realize that it would be impossible to know it’s the same wall being described if I lacked that fact before reading. One may describe the number, sizes, and subjects of the pictures on the wall, while the other focuses on the height, width, and color of the wall. There is neither malice, nor intent to deceive. The viewing angles are the same, yet they “see” and record different details. I should add that everything about the wall is static or unchanging while it is being described. Yet, we are quick to call foul when people recall the dynamic, ever-changing events of life inconsistent with how we might have described them. We are certain that the differences are the result of prejudiced conspiracies, and of course it’s coincidence that our rewritten version of such history supports our own agendas.

Perhaps we struggle to find cohesiveness in our distinct versions of history because we tend to view history as our own stories. My view of history tends to be me-centric, and likewise, your view of history tends to place you, your people, or your agenda as the central focus. That tendency casts light on some aspects of the stories and shade on other aspects, molding our history to support whatever traits – heroic, impoverished, underdog, innovative, discriminated… - we wish to highlight.

What if history is not intended to be primarily about us?

What if history is His Story?

What if history is first and foremost about God?

What if we, as in past, present, and future lineage, are minor characters in His Story?

What if the only impact we have on real history is our relationship with Him?

What if the very parts of history that we’d prefer to redact reveal something extraordinary about God?

What if the most extreme expressions of violence against our people simply set the stage for God’s most extreme expressions of love or deliverance?

What if our most deliberate vanity and rebellion were the stage for God’s most extravagant grace?

Could we, in our efforts to highlight or dismiss aspects of our stories, miss the actual movement of God within those stories?

Could his strengths be seen primarily through our weaknesses?

Could his light be most visible within our darkest nights?

Would such a perspective make us somehow less significant?

I think not.

For if the God of the universe chose to reveal himself through the rebellion, impoverishment, guilt, or victimization of me or my people, what are we if not significant in His sight and His Story?