What Happened?

There is an ongoing joke in our home whenever Hallmark movies are playing.

My wife knows that the moment I recognize what channel she has it locked on the sny comments are soon to follow. It generally starts with a seemingly innocent question, “want me to tell you how it’s going to end?” That is almost certainly followed by an eye roll and sigh that indicates how unamused she is at that moment.

From there I assure her that the young lady on the screen is from the big city and on a visit to her small hometown where she is trying to find herself again. I proceed to tell her that the young man, who typically runs a hardware store, and based off his home is a multimillionaire, is her lost love of long ago, and that what is about to unfold is a series of events that will result in scenes of romantic joy and bliss. Oh, and there’s always a dog.

The picking comes from a place of love and she lovingly reminds me that she watches those movies for the adventure, not the outcome. That struck me as interesting, as most of the time I approach life as a destination, not an adventure. I tend to focus on the outcome—checking the box, completing the task, or achieving the goal. But my wife’s reminder to embrace the journey made me think about how often I was approaching my spiritual life the same way.

Maybe you can relate? How often do we treat our faith as a series of steps to accomplish rather than an adventure to experience with God?

• We read the Bible to finish a chapter.
• We pray to check it off the list.
• We attend church because it’s what we’re “supposed” to do.

But what if we shifted our perspective?

The first of our simple, yet powerful, questions to consider when studying the Bible is - “What Happened?” Taking the time to ask that question forces us to focus on the nuances, and suddenly the adventure becomes richer. This creates a natural shift from treating Scripture with a set of expected outcomes into an intentional practice of trying to understand from a greater, and Spirit-driven, perspective.

Perhaps the Hallmark movies have a lesson after all. It’s not just about how it ends—it’s about the moments along the way that bring us into the narrative, exactly the way Scripture does as we dive deeper. Starting with the mindset of “What Happened” creates an opportunity to see Scripture in a new light and builds a solid foundation of Truth moving forward.

Questions to Consider

1. How does focusing on the "what happened" in Scripture change the way you approach reading the Bible?
2. What specific areas of your faith journey feel like a checklist rather than an adventure? How can you shift that perspective?