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We’ve all asked these loaded questions, “Who am I? What is my purpose?” Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the Enemy has fought to undermine God’s story with counterfeits that promise answers to these questions. The competing stories begin early as our personal influences form our opinion of ourselves and the world. Our family of origin, place of birth, and socioeconomic background expose us to specific subcultures, opinions, and prejudices. The people closest to us form our opinions of self, of family, and of relationships, and these people may be the ones who injure us the most. As we age, our cultural context continues to shape our worldview, some good and other bad. Through social media and entertainment, we see different bodies and relationships and lifestyles and wonder what we can do to achieve their happiness. The 24/7 news cycle breeds fatalism and fear if we don’t take their prescribed path to presumed peace. We’re bombarded with these influences and more as the Enemy tempts us to place our trust outside of God.
But our 21st century American pursuit of happiness is failing us. We work for more money, power, and accolades because we’re promised we’ll find happiness, worth, and fulfillment in them. When faced with inevitable suffering, our culture advocates for a multitude of avenues to avoid it. Some choose busyness, others addiction to drugs, alcohol, or sex. We attempt to distract ourselves from painful relationships and experiences and continue pursuing happiness in what we can accomplish. We hope one of these avenues will restore us and provide peace and wholeness and happiness, but we’re let down time and again. 
God does not leave us in this place of despair. He has given us the answers to our questions, and His Grand Narrative trumps all competing stories. Where broken relationships and hurtful experiences have clouded our view of ourselves and our story, God reminds us of our place within His great story of redemption. When we learn more about the truth of God’s story, we can find lasting peace as we hope for His final restoration.

Resources:
Ancient Cosmology / BibleProject Podcast
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller 
BEMA Podcast 
The Journey with Alex Kocher 


To sign up for free visuals and discussion questions for this season click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Our theme music is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As Isaac⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
This podcast is made possible by engineer and producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shane Selby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, executive producer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meleah Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠generous donors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Known Ministries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Kocher⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Brenda Payne. Season 7 of Conversational Counseling on “Competing Stories."

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