So…we were standing outside the coffee shop, he with a giant rose and me with a pounding heart, and he said, ‘I guess I was supposed to say will you go out with me.’”

“It wasn’t a coffee shop, it was a grocery store.”

“No, there was a Starbucks in the grocery store and we were standing outside of the Starbucks.”

“I bought the rose at the grocery store, and then told them to have you come outside. So, it was outside the grocery store.”

“Ok, fine. It was a grocery store. Does it really matter?”

::

One of my favorite movies is “When Harry Met Sally;” especially the interviews with the couples on how they got together. I love swapping stories. Get me in a room with a bunch of college students, and my college anecdotes pour out. If there’s an engaged or newlywed couple near, I’ll wax poetic about proposals and first years. Even a chance encounter with a pregnant woman in Target can bring out the storyteller in me. Sharing life with others fills my soul. That’s a major reason why I blog.

The thing about a story is that it is personal. Two people can live out the same event, and come away with completely different accounts. The old couple in “When Harry Met Sally” cracks me up because they argue over every detail.

Perspective, character and personality filter how we perceive our life experiences.

::

Imagine Cinderella’s tale from the stepsister’s point of view. Isn’t that changing in perspective what made the musical “Wicked” so popular? No one every thought before about what the Wicked Witch’s story was.

We can’t change how we perceive our life. Without even thinking we analyze and categorize our experiences. I describe myself as an extroverted introvert. Although I prefer my alone time, I also recognize the necessity of intermingling with others. Too much time by myself leaves me with a very narrow perspective. It becomes all about me and how I see it.

That’s why we need community.

To give us perspective.

To show us where we’re off kilter.

To tell us we’re not alone and we’re not crazy.

::

As much as I enjoy sharing my stories with others, I savor the opportunity to hear someone else present their perspective on common experience. When my husband tells the story of how he asked me out, or some other moment from our thirteen years together, I sit back and soak up his view of our history. It provides insight into his heart, revealing what was important about the moment to him.

This same phenomenon occurs in my quiet times with God. I see my story as one of failure, rejection, brokenness, and disappointment. Sitting back, resting in His Words, I find something new. He sees life, hope, and acceptance, grace and love. I am nothing less than His daughter, and a precious one at that.

We need to share our stories with others, to maintain balance in our perception of experiences. More importantly, we need to stay tuned in to the master narrator; He always reveals the truth of the situation and guides us as the story continues to unfold.