Pay Attention to Your Storyline

kaylaj38
Nov 24, 2025
2 min read

Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre once said,“I can only answer the question ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question of ‘What story do I find myself a part of?’”

This may be one of the most important insights into the human experience—and one of the most overlooked. Most of us move through life shaped by unconscious storylines.

Narratives formed long before we had the language to name them. They sit beneath our decisions, our fears, our assumptions, even our interpretations of everyday interactions.

We rarely stop to ask: What story am I living out of?

A Simple Example: Tim & Mark

Consider Tim and Mark—two colleagues collaborating on a project.

Mark offered to help. Tim responded, “Thanks! I got this.” A simple, neutral sentence.

But Mark heard something entirely different: “You don’t think I’m capable.” “You don’t trust me.” “You think I’m not good enough.”

He reacted not to Tim’s actual words, but to the storyline he already carried—a storyline shaped by shame and the belief that he must constantly prove himself.

Nothing in the moment justified that interpretation. But everything in Mark’s internal narrative made it feel true.

This is the quiet power of storylines: We don’t see them, but they shape everything we see.

Where Do Storylines Come From?

Our storylines often emerge from:

Past wounds
Childhood experiences
#Cultural messages
Family dynamics
Social expectations
Moments of failure or exclusion
Seasons where we felt unseen or unsafe

Over time, these experiences create a kind of “operating system” inside us. And unless we stop to notice then examine it, that operating system—true or not—will govern our reactions, shape our relationships, and influence our sense of identity.

Why Examining Our Storylines Matters

Unexamined storylines can produce #cognitive biases (more on this in a future post) which then lead to:

#Misunderstandings
Unnecessary #Conflict
Overreactions
Defensive postures
Critical and judgmental tendencies
Feelings of inadequacy
Barriers to #connection and #belonging

But when we courageously pause and pay attention to our narrative, something shifts.We create space to ask:

Is this story true?
Is it good?
Is it producing the fruit I want to see in my life ?
Is it aligned with the story God is telling about me and about the world?

The practice of befriending—ourselves and the “Other” begins with noticing, with curiosity and with questioning the story behind our reactions.

The Invitation

I invite you to pay attention to your storyline. Not to judge it—but to observe it, challenge it, and open it to #God’s #redemptive work.

Sometimes, the story we’re living out of isn’t the story we chose—it’s just the story we inherited. But with awareness, #courage, and #faith, we can step into a better story that produces #love, #joy, #peace, patience, kindness, #goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and #self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)