New Chapters

I mark new chap­ters in my life in a vari­ety of ways — as I know you do too. Some­times it is a birth­day, but it is usu­ally a move or a major surgery that really divides the life story of yours truly. Coun­tries divide their chap­ters by elec­tions and wars. Either sys­tem works pretty well I sup­pose. We also divide our chap­ters by dis­as­ters (Hur­ri­cane Kat­rina, 9/11, etc.).

You can feel when a new chap­ter is headed your way. Some­times it has to do with the impend­ing death of a rel­a­tive or a child that leaves for col­lege. Either way there is grief and renewal. Major life events have a way of mak­ing you stop to take time to see where you go from here. My life mark­ers also include min­istries and the times in between. Some chap­ters are very short (like in Tolstoy’s War and Peace) but some are very lengthy.

What is inter­est­ing about life’s chap­ter divi­sions is that you are gen­er­ally not the one mak­ing them. You are in some sort of greater his­tory. The new chap­ter divi­sions are thrust upon you, and then you have to decide how to approach the next few pages. Some­times the chap­ters change, due to an unex­pected call in the mid­dle of the night.

Per­son­ally, I am glad life is in lit­tle and even great shifts of focus. Long chap­ters can be bor­ing. A sin­gle call from your doc­tor can abruptly end a chap­ter and begin a new one. Be open to what­ever leads you to a new blank page. Write with God what leaps from your moments and your days. It will form the unique novel of your life. You do not con­trol the events — only your responses to them. Be cre­ative. Pen a life worth remembering.