Who Tells Your Story

“You have no control/Who lives, who dies, who tells your story” Hamilton, History Has Its Eyes On You

Like many people, I’m totally a Hamilfan (yes, I’m a geek.  I embrace it).  During the first act in the song “History Has Its Eyes On You,” George Washington tells Hamilton that, “you have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

When I first listened to the album, I was immediately struck by these lyrics.  Our entire lives we (or I, at least) strive for control.  I want to control my environment, my finances, my future.  But on a day to day basis, what I try to control the most (albeit often subconsciously) is others’ perceptions of me.  I want to control who tells my story and what story they are telling.  Bluntly, I want people to like me and to think well of me.  I think that’s a fairly common desire and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be liked.  However, what I often forget is that I have no control over people’s perceptions of me.  I can be sweet as pie and there will still be people in this world who do not like me.  And that’s okay.  In fact, if there is no one that dislikes me then I’m probably not being bold enough with my faith (but that’s a post for another time!).

And when I’m so focused on what other people think of me, I forget about the opinion that really matters: God’s.  As Paul puts it in Galatians 1:10, “Am I now trying to seek the approval of man, or of God?”  Whose opinion of me is worth more?  The friends, coworkers, and strangers that I desperately try to win over, or the God of the universe who created me and that I have promised to serve with everything in me?  So rather than “perform” for others and worry over their perception of me, I can choose to act “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).  I can choose to be kind, to be compassionate, to be hardworking, to have integrity.  I can choose to be the kind of person I want to be, rather than the kind of person I think those around me want for me to be.  I can choose to serve God and not man. 

Because ultimately, who tells your story is not nearly as important as the One who wrote it.