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The true main character
By Brian Qualls, Lt. –
Since the beginning of human history, stories have captivated our attention and imagination. The earliest humans left crude drawings in caves, long before written language. Civilizations all over the world laid out under the stars and grouped them into constellations, telling stories of the values they held dear. Stories are still important today.
All of my life, I have been enthralled by worlds far away, living in prehistoric times, traveling faster than light, slaying dragons and sailing on the open seas. But what made those worlds real to me were the main characters: Luke, Bilbo, Arthur, Peter Pan and Littlefoot. The more invested I was in the main character, the more real that world became, and the less I wanted their story to end.
I want to tell you a story of my own today. It’s about a young child who excelled in school, even though his family moved more times than his age. An adolescent who received the worst parts of puberty, and who was bullied and belittled to the point of giving up. The story continues with a young adult who was trapped in the chains of addiction, burying his hurt and pain.
But as I reflect on my story, I have come to a glaring truth: I am not the main character of my life. That role belongs to Jesus Christ. He is the main character of our lives. Not only that, he is the main character of Scripture. Page after page points to Jesus, who makes God’s Word real to us. If I tell my story, I must tell you about the real hero.
It’s not about the little kid who moved from home to home, but Christ who provided a home in the form of The Salvation Army.
Or the adolescent who angrily questioned his existence, but Christ who whispered God’s love repeatedly.
Or the young adult chained by addiction, but Christ who severed the power of sin.
Christ, like many of my favorite main characters, made this world real to me. He showed me that there is much joy, love, hope, peace, faith and blessings waiting for me.
My prayer is that when people tell the life of Brian, they would share the love of Christ. Because this story is all about Jesus. And in your darkest moments, when there seems to be no way out, no recovery and no redemption, I pray that his love pierces whatever blocks his truth from reaching you. I pray that his love breaks the chains of your sin.
There is so much waiting for you, if you simply come to know Christ as the main character of your story. Let him have that role, so that his story can become your story.
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