The SIZE of your story?

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Many of you may know that I work with school-age kids on the Autism Spectrum. It's a delight and challenge, and teaches ME something new on a daily basis (kind of like being a Mom does :-)
Last week a Mom talked with me about frustrations explaining death to her 8-year-old son with Autism. One of his pets had died the year before and now his grandmother was close to death's door so Mom was trying to prepare him.

The little boy loved the idea of going to Heaven so much he started talking incessantly about going there. Asking his Mom how he could get there. Hoping he could go very soon - to the point she was beginning to get a little concerned. (Kids with Autism can really get a thought stuck in their heads...REALLY stuck!!)

(Though she had a healthy perspective on the fact that ALL Christians should have a solid ache for Home)

So.... she asked if I'd talk to him about it.

It was a quick-thinking, fast-praying moment for me, but what I used for him...I then came home and used with my youngest two kids.

Here's what I came up with:

What does an author do? He writes a story, right? From beginning to end he creates the characters, designs the setting, and though the character may jump around the plot sometimes, the author is the one with the amazing ability to create.

He starts with a beginning. Writes through a bunch of adventures in the middle. Then brings the story to an end.

Does the character write the end of the book or the author?

The Author

God is the author of your story - and mine. He's writes the stories of all His kids, in many different book-sizes.

 Sometimes the book God writes might be very thin. From first page to last, it may not take up a bunch of pages at all, but it's a finished story. This book might be for someone who is only 2 years old.

Sometimes the book is very thick - like your Granny's book- and inside her book are many different stories and adventures, great things and sad things, people she's met and choices she's made. A book packed thick and full of her life. God's writing the last page to your Granny's story for this Earth right now. When He writes her last page - she get to go to Heaven to start a whole new adventure.

Only GOD - the Author- knows how thick the book of our lives is going to be.

So I asked the little boy - Is God writing your story too?

Yes

What size is YOUR story right now? (We drew it on a piece of paper)

That's right, it's not as big as your Granny's, but not as small as a baby's. And, it's not finished yet. There are more pages left to write. Do you know how many pages are in your story?

No

Who knows how big your book is going to be?

God

And you know what you get to do until He finishes writing your story?

Play with CARS

Totally! Play with cars, run like Sonic, laugh and learn. You get to live out your story until God's ready to finish your book on Earth so you can get to Heaven. Because He's the author of your story.

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I don't know if you will agree with this way of teaching, but for me it was comforting. As a mom, author, and human - there is great comfort in the fact that my life has a greater hand working all the craziness of life into a story which will end in my very own happy ending. How do I know it's a happy ending? Because I belong to God - and if you do, then you're guarenteed a happy ending too.

God's story for my life is to create the 'character of Christ' in me. Through my good choices and bad - in my tough situations and easy, in ALL things, He's working out the plotline of my life to make my 2 dimensional heart of stone into a 3 dimensional heart of flesh - ready and willing to release MY story.....to Him