Inner Narratives…

There are many fascinating narratives in the world about so many different topics…But there is one narrative that is continually being narrated…

Welcome dear friend, I have a tray of delights ready for our tea time in the garden as we enjoy our beautiful autumn weather here in Australia.

Our tea is an Indian Spice blend, quite different to Chai, this one has little pieces of dried fruit & rose petals, our treat is a freshly baked strawberry & coconut loaf…

The Little Wattle birds are back busy making their nests & squawking their squawk. The sun is shining its warmth upon us & our beautiful Jacaranda is standing majestical, as shared in the Tree of life… …

Now we are seated, enjoying our cuppa, shall we reflect upon what narratives are & just how much influence they have in our lives…

 Beginning with the following definition & meaning of the word Narrative;

• a spoken or written account of connected events ~ a story
• in the form of/or concerned with narration ~ story telling

As a child I was introduced to the wonderful world of reading by my paternal Uncle who was a Senior High School Educator for the Deaf community. I loved reading stories & being transported to their fascinating worlds.

Then my maternal grandfather, when he came to visit, loved to tell my sister & I bedtime stories about a mystical world full of tiny creatures, that I’m sure he invented as he went along. We loved his animation & emphasis on certain phrases in this time.

Throughout the years as a Mama & Grandmama I too have read many stories to my daughter’s & my grandchildren from story books, mysteries, fable & ancient scripts… as shared in Little Miss L.

And as a writer I continually formulate narratives from the everyday world around me. Many are shared here with you in our times of reflection.

But today I thought we would reflect upon the narrative within. The narrative of the mind & heart that we continually retell ourselves, the one that is in continual motion…

This internal narrative captivates many thoughts & long held beliefs on life that we quite often are unaware of until they’re challenged. I have recently been challenged on a few of my own…

 How do we develop our inner narratives?

We develop our inner narrative through the lense of our family background, childhood experiences, cultural background, core beliefs & moral compass…

Then as we sojourn through life, various circumstances that we experience will either confirm or challenge our inner narrative…

Our inner narrative may not always be true though, we can have false narratives as our inner truths.

Let me personalize this for you…

I was recently challenged with the following questions in a fellowship study (paraphrased);

• How do you see God?
• What is your personal narrative about God’s love for you?

I set about reflecting upon these questions…I have a very loving earthly Dad so to see God as my Heavenly Father in a loving, fair & just God is not a challenge for me.

However, I do realize that this is not the case for everyone, it may be quite challenging if you did not have a loving earthly Dad . 

So then, my personal narrative of God is that He is a caring, loving, protective provider who loves me & only wants the best for me.

Then came the following questions (paraphrased)…

• What was your childhood experience of love?
• Was there an expectation or perception in having to earn that family love through your accomplishments, merit or standard of behavior?
• Does your inner narrative of God have these same perceptions in having to earn His love through what you do for Him?

Hmmm! That stopped me in my tracks! These were very thought provoking & challenging questions…That I need to reflect upon & journal for awhile..

Then this week another question really stood out (paraphrased)…

• What is your inner narrative about God’s love for you in your present circumstances?

Hmmm! Very thought provoking…as I have chronic health conditions, one being chronic pain…stay tuned for my reflective answers.

I invite you to join me in reflecting & journaling about your inner narrative using the above questions as a catalyst…dear friend.

What are our inner narratives…are they inner truths or false narratives….

Until next time…

Jennifer

 

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