A defining story

Have you ever stopped to think about what narrative defines you and the way you view the world?

I recently read this quote from one of my favourite teachers Franciscan monk Fr. Richard Rohr; “How we begin is invariably how we end and how we proceed. Our creation story is important.”

This set my mind of whirring about the impact of narratives and I had to write some of my thoughts down. Narratives can be such powerful drivers in shaping the way we interact with life, people and the world. Many of us unwittingly carry negative narratives around with us and we don’t realise how they can completely dictate our course in life.

As a perfectionist I have constant critical, negative self-talk going on in my head no matter what I am doing. For as long as I can remember that voice has been trying to, with some success dictate how I perceive life. Trying to undermine my enjoyment, my freedom to express, my willingness and ability to let others in.

Over the last year or so I have started to invest time in understanding perfectionism and the impact it has on people. During this time I have become more and more aware of this voice than I ever was before. I began to realise how many elements of my life it had secreted itself into and the impact that had on me.

Fortunately as a follower of Jesus and having grown up around this ‘Jesus-culture’ I have also had an overwhelmingly positive narrative spoken into my life at the same time. A narrative that starts with the words; ‘God created……and saw that it was good’ (my paraphrase) and leaves the ending open with a promise that; ‘there is now no separation between God and humanity’ (again my paraphrase)

And so despite these two competing narratives vying  for my attention on a daily basis, while I can’t prevent myself hearing either I do have a choice about which I believe and allow to define my reality.

So I would like to modify Richard Rohr’s above statement to say this instead; ‘How we choose to begin is invariably how we end and how we proceed.’

So what is your narrative? And how does it define you?

 

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Genesis 1:31

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AndyGMcK

I am just person trying to make meaning from my experience. Like you, my life has been a journey of both personal and spiritual discovery. There have been many influences that have shaped me into the person I am today. In recent years I have been drawn to the view of spirituality as described in the mystic and monastic traditions, particularly that of St. Francis of Assisi. My spiritual journey has roots in the Christian tradition and I am to this day enthralled by the teachings and claims of Jesus the Christ. The more I meditate on his life, the more intune I have felt with the natural ebb and flow of existence, what I would call 'God' and the more I feel like I grow. I feel led to share my experiences and thoughts with others. I pray you are encouraged and blessed in your own spiritual journey.

3 thoughts on “A defining story”

  1. I love this idea. As silly as it sounds I have been meaning to pay more attention to my own self-talk. However I do recognise that I write some fairly negatively toned narratives of my own life. You’re right – it has such an impact on everything you do! Time to re-frame.

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  2. Thank you for sharing this reflection Andy. I agree with you. My perspective as a humanist sits nicely with your view of the world. Humanism is based on the premise that we are all born good social people and like chistianity humanists believe we are therefore redeemable. This is my narrative for living.

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