Epic

There are stories. Stories like Leslie was telling not too long ago that always ended with a bear going "Rawr!" And that was with no regard for where the story started, be it the woods or a mall. She would begin telling a story, and the suspense would build as we waited for the reveal of the bear. A good story, maybe not a best seller, but entertaining nonetheless.

Then there are epics. Beowulf, King Arthur, Gone with the Wind, Braveheart, The Dark Knight. Stories that transcend, that go far beyond just entertainment for one generation, one group of people. Stories that will be told and passed on for generations.

Most of us are living "bear stories." They are fun for us, not terribly developed or thought provoking, but they get us by. Our stories are filled with paying bills, meeting deadlines, staying in shape, maintaining relationships, buying stuff, and trying to occasionally be a nicer person.

Few of us live stories of great battles, sweeping romances, or rising up to great challenges. We are sure there are people living them, like missionaries or soldiers, or celebrities, but those lives of epicness could never be ours. Could they?

The thing about epic stories is that the main characters run toward things, rather than shrink back from them. Frodo CHOOSES to take the ring to Mordor when logic says flee. William Wallace goes to "Pick a fight" rather than cower and concede like the other Scottish nobles. Rhett Butler sticks with Scarlett, despite her rejection, and the fact that he is not a 'stick around' kind of guy. But we, we flee intimacy, conflict, and anything that exposes us.

Can our lives be epic? Can we take the mundane days in front of a computer, or at a desk, or watching the kids, or trying to love our families, or trying to stay above water, or trying to find God and make them epic?

It won't be easy to change our view, to look for the bigger picture we're a part of. But then, if it were easy, it couldn't be epic.