God writes big stories, stories that seem impossible. And they are, if you think about it. He seems to take great interest in impossible stories, and I think they’re interesting, too. But I rarely raise my hand to live them.

I write small stories. Everyday, I write stories for my life that include comfort and fun and entertainment. I live inside my little story like coloring a sunshine yellow – I stay in the lines and keep to the plan. Suns are supposed to be yellow, right? I am a rule-follower.

God makes oceans rise up like two great walls, and invites people to walk on dry ground between them. It’s not even muddy. I step around puddles in the parking lot because I don’t like to get my feet wet.

God made porcupines and palm trees out of nothing. And I make things out of nothing, too – things like worry and anxiety and fear. I live small, and I wait for permission that never comes.

I wait for the art to arrive, too – wait to feel courageous enough before I create. But creativity actually births courage. It comes after, not before. If you wait until you feel ready, you could be stuck in your small story for a very long time. Dare to see the art in everything, take small risks with great faith. You may find the fear fade a bit, and courage just might rise up within you like two great walls of water on either side, high enough for you to get lost in a good way in the bigness of it all.