Saga

sa·ga   [sah-guh]   n. 
1. a prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of a personage, family, etc.
2. a narrative or legend of heroic exploits.

Saturday night I witnessed a man named Marcos retell his story in front of about 25 other young adults, including the gory details about his family history, his mentally challenged mother, his apathetic aunt, and the broken families that she paid for him to stay with. He said he sometimes wonders what would have been better, to be raised by drugs, alcohol, and witchcraft like he was, or to be raised by his mentally retarded mother.

This group of young adults meet together every week to worship and share their stories with each other. They call their meeting Saga.
Having seen this, I was reminded of just how important the element of story is to our lives. Our lives are not cookie-cuttered. Everyone's story is different. You can only get to know a person so well without knowing their story. And sharing our story is how we open our pasts up to others. The importance of story is why we love to watch movies and read books. And it's why the Lord handed us the Bible instead of a list of his characteristics and why he gives us community instead of just coffins to die in. We are to live out this life and share the story.

That night at Saga, Mark said, "Sharing our stories gives strength to us and strength to others. God has given us community for this reason." And Marcos added, "When there are irregular elements to your story, it confirms for others that their story is accepted too, even if it's not normal. Having heard others' stories, I feel that I know them better." Knowing each others' stories connects us. We are entrusting a part of our lives to each other. 

The most moving part of the night was when the group sang these words to God over and over: "Escreva a sua história através de mim," write your story through me. I realize now that that's what seperates regular stories from sagas. You can live to write your own story, but won't the plot be boring! Or you can you let God write the story. You can understand that you're nothing but the paper. And that's where you get legendary narratives of heroic exploits.