Samuel. The Ark. Saul. David and Goliath. Jonathan. Ziklag. If you had the privilege of attending Sunday School as a child, you probably heard stories about people, places and events from David’s life. These are stories that matter! Not only because they are part of a much bigger story but because the lives of the individuals mentioned in those stories matter. As I often say, “The trouble is in the ditches.” The ditch on one side of the road is losing the individual in the big story, and the ditch on the other side is losing the big story in the life of the individual. We don’t have to be either/or because it really is both/and. Your life matters! But your life, like the lives of the people in the Bible stories, is a part of the much bigger story. It may seem to you that your life is bound in dysfunction and obscurity. Do not be deceived, your life matters, it is part of something much bigger than you know. The Author of the Story doesn’t always inform the other characters of the full picture of what is happening. Be sure of this, you entered the Story for a reason. The Author has a purpose for you. It may not seem obvious, but the Story is not over. We’re part of a Story that started before us and will continue after we are gone. Don’t lose heart. Move toward the Author, you are a living character in the great drama. We already know Who the Hero is, but the Hero has friends—be one.