Jeremiah 29:11, Amplified Bible

“’For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been watching short videos on social media about kindness and moral respect. My husband will tease me and say, “Are you watching your little weird videos?” I took some time to think about whether I am becoming too focused on them, and if they are drawing my attention and time away from Christ. After examining my heart, I realized the reason is this: I want to see how the stories unfold and understand why people do what they do. Through this thought process, I also recognized something important—we all have our own story. No one should miss their own uniqueness by trying to live in someone else’s story.

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16, NLT)

Every day of your life, your story is recorded in a book. God has it, and He sees it even before you are born. Whether your story is written by your own free will, filled with regret and dissatisfaction, or you choose to pass the pen into God’s hands, it is still your story. One day, you will stand before God, and He will open the book that is yours. The difference is this: the story written in it will lead either to judgment or to His reward. We cannot receive a reward through someone else’s faith, nor can someone else take the judgment for our choices—except through the cross that Jesus endured.

Let’s be clear through an example that my husband likes to use:

A person who seeks to be physically healthy and fit goes to the gym daily. They pay very close attention to how others work out, counting how long they exercise and observing their effort, sweat, and transformation. They share with others how often they go to the gym and how sincere they are about it. However, after a month, when they step on the scale, there is no change in their shape or their weight.

Do I need to explain why in this example? I believe there is no need. I also believe that you now understand what I mean—do not live in other people’s stories.

“’For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, AMP)

We all, each one of us, have our own journey. God is right where you are, ready to write your story if you say yes to Him. You can try to hold the pen and be your own author, or you can hand Him the pen and let Him be the Author of your life—an Author who plans for peace and well-being, not for disaster, but to give you a future and a hope.