“Ideas are sticky. Once we produce a theory, we are not likely to change our minds.” Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking Fast & Slow

We see this all the time. We tend to define ourselves by the stories we tell ourselves. “I’m not good enough.” “Gotta watch out for #1. Others are out to get me.” “I’m xyz in the caste system, so that’s who I am.” The stories go on and on. Weirdly, too many are negative. I wonder why that is.

And we also define others by stories we’ve heard about them. Way too often, they’re not even factual. Seems the stories have more power than the facts.

Many people grew up feeling like Jonathan Edwards’ “sinners in the hands of an angry God,” but maybe God intended for them to latch on to this message instead. “I have loved you with an everlasting love…” Jer. 31:3

Kinda makes you wish you could be born again. Get things right. Accept love.

And that’s the gospel in a nutshell.

Sometimes it happens in a moment…and sometimes internalizing unconditional love and being transformed by it takes a long time. My story is “both/and.” Sometimes it seems too good to be true so I default to my old stories. And when I do, I have to un-stick them, like ripping off a huge band-aid. Then I can get back to my freedom story.