Three of my guilty pleasures at this stage of my life are WWE wrestling, Days of Our Lives and Superheroes.  Once upon a time, it was cool for me to like these venues, but as a 40-year-old, not so much.  Sure, I can get away with watching WWE on TV now that I have a 9-year-old son, but that’s about the extent of it.  I don’t know how I’d explain myself today if I were caught keeping tabs on Bo and Hope on Days of Our Lives or exploring which super villain was being knocked out by Captain America’s star-spangled shield or Green Lantern’s power ring.  But, via my personality, this is the hand I’ve been dealt.  I still enjoy all three of these products.

I was talking with a wise friend about this a while back and he offered some thoughtful insight.  According to him, the reason that I am still attracted to these three realms is not the products themselves, but the ongoing stories they tell.  He went on to explain that I wasn’t necessarily attracted to the characters or plots as much as I simply wanted to know what happens next.

That led me to ponder his observations on my own.  And I spent a great deal of time lost in thought on this.  Here is the ultimate conclusion I reached:  My friend hit the nail on the head!  I am interested in the stories.  How else could I explain following these brands for the last twenty-five years?  The characters come and go.  In the comic book world, superheroes die and others come along and wear the brightly colored spandex costumes (of course, just like in soap operas, dying doesn’t mean a hero won’t reappear a few months later).  On Days of Our Lives, the actors and actresses come and go to and from the make-believe town of Salem.  As for WWE, wrestling is a young man’s game (with the exceptions of Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the Nature Boy Ric Flair).  Older wrestlers are always retiring and new up-and-comers are constantly debuting.

As the light bulb started to come on, I realized that for me, it’s not entirely about the characters and the settings.  It’s about the bigger question to which I’m constantly searching for answers.  What happens next?  It’s true. I’m a sucker to discover the next chapter.  This also explains why I can’t put down a book or turn off a movie…no matter how atrocious each may be.  But I’ve also discovered this is true of my life as well.  I am always curious as to what will happen next.  What does the next chapter in my life have in store for me?

That is part of the beauty, as well as the mystery, of life.  If you’re reading this blog, your story is not finished yet.  Whether or not you like where it has taken you to this point in your life, remember…your story is NOT over!  The next chapter has yet to be written.  Hans Christian Anderson once wrote, “Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.”

Whether you believe in God or not, He certainly believes in you.  And He’s planned a “happily ever after” just for you.  So in the meantime, enjoy the best-selling novel He’s written, called “Your Life.”  Know that through all the drama, comedy, romance, action and tragedy, if you trust in Him, your story will have a happy ending!  And He’s promised that our epilogue will be pretty sweet as well!