Inciting Incidents

I remember a point in my earlier years of college when I realized I'm terrible at confronting conflict or expressing feelings which might make the other party feel offended, nervous, or guilty. It was then, that I would say to the other party something like this, "I have something I need to tell you, can you please remind me to tell you later?" Then there was absolutely no way out of it. I had set myself up for an inciting incident and I couldn't go back. Scary, but good. Like doing something for the first time.

In Donald Miller's book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, he refers to the inciting incident in a movie or book when the character is unexpectedly pushed through a doorway in which they can never return, when they ask themselves, What have I gotten myself into? Isn't that the best part of a movie, when you close your eyes, cringing in fear and think, Wow, so glad that's not me? It always makes me feel so much better for myself at the time, but in the end their story always turns out so darn good!

I look at my friends and mentors who I admire for all that they have done in their lives. I want to do that, or be that, see that, love that, finish that, go there, make that, you know? The one common thing I see in each of them is their lack of fear. They're people who weren't afraid of rejection, pain, heartache, broken bones, dying, or success, falling in love, commitment, perseverance, devotion. Those are the people who have good stories, who do great things, who change the world and do what God made us for.