A Million Miles In A Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

Miller positions the lens of Christian spirituality as pivotal to his book, using Christian doctrine and values to underpin his arguments. Throughout the book, Miller refers to God, Jesus Christ, and Christian faith as key sources of meaning in the story of humanity, reflecting his own spiritual lens. For instance, Miller describes God as a “master storyteller”—a positive force that guides people to create good lives (31). Miller emphasizes his belief that God “[spoke] the world into existence” making God a key figure in the human story. For Miller, God wants people is to enjoy life’s journey and endeavor to do good even during the most trying times. He describes God as a “Writer,” a “real Voice” inherent in people’s consciousness—metaphors that connect his Christian with the paradigm of storytelling that frames his memoir. Miller believes God lovingly directs people toward living better lives, but that there are also “dark forces” in the world that impede people from finding meaning. He suggests that such forces are antithetical to God because they exacerbate people’s fears and instill in them a sense that “life just isn’t worth living” (115). For Miller, bad things happen in the world when people move away from God.