at the
leadnow conference a couple of weeks ago,
donald miller, author of
blue like jazz, spoke about the elements of "story." it was like drinking from a fire hose, but what a refreshing drink. :)
he said that a while ago he went to a workshop in los angeles taught by some big whig writer guy on how to write a good story. according to this workshop, a story consists of a character wanting something and going through conflicts to get it. pretty simple. if the story isn't good, it's either because we don't like/associate with the character, the thing he wants isn't worthwhile, or the conflicts are not interesting/challenging enough. conflict is one of the crucial elements in a story. without it, you do
not have a good story.
now, try to follow me, 'cause i'm jumping around a little bit to set up my point. there are certain personality traits that differentiate the hero in the story from the villain. and those traits can change through the course of the story, meaning that a villain can become the hero. but, according to donald miller's "story workshop," the only...repeated for emphasis:
only thing that can cause this kind of change is
conflict.
alright, now let me make my application. it's thanksgiving. every year i hear people saying to be thankful for all the blessings we have, and how we have it so good...and blah blah. and then we stuff ourselves with something like
this and we watch two mediocre football teams run back and forth and we fall asleep for a few hours and eat left-overs for the rest of the weekend. and i've always found it really easy to be very thankful during good, easy times. then the other day on the radio, i heard the dj say that he and his wife have had a pretty tough year. that they had suffered a miscarriage, that he had broken some bone in his back or something, that his wife had incurred some kind of serious illness, that they had experienced financial trouble...but that they still had it so much better than some people, and they had decided to thank god for the good things anyway.
and that got me thinking. gretchen and i have had a relatively tough year as well. some financial stuff. some job stuff. some other stuff. some conflicts. and as i look back at some of the stuff that we have come through and some of the stuff that we are still in the middle of, i see several ways in which my character has changed, in which i have become a better person and a better picture of christ, in which my character's traits have become less like those of the villain.
so this thanksgiving, i'm not only thankful for the good things in my life (of which there are many), but i have chosen to be thankful for the conflicts, as well. the good things are fantastic, and i love them, and i don't deserve them. but it's the conflicts (which...well, they suck, quite frankly) by which god will continue to change those things in me that will keep me from being the strongest man and the most humble servant and the best husband and father that i can be. so i cherish my conflicts. i revell in them. they're making me into a hero. and while i don't enjoy the conflicts...
i'm thankful for them.