I was on line in the drugstore, waiting to pay, and the line snaked past a display of magazines. One could not help but look. As my eyes scanned their covers I was struck by the fact that one in three had a cover article that purported to tell the "inside" story of some actor's failed marriage, another star's secret lover or an athlete's struggle with substance abuse.

The line moved very slowly so I had ample time to think. Who really knew those inside stories except the central people involved? Was each article a former maid's account? A disgruntled agent's version? Or what?

Then I thought some more. (The line seemed permanently stalled by confusion at the cash register). We each have an "inside story" too, don't we? No, nothing as exciting as what Hollywood might offer, but there are things going on within us that no one knows, except God. And that is good.

I thought of my hopes and fears as the line moved a bit. I ran through some of those very engaging self-arguments that occupy idle moments. I would not want those in the pages of PEOPLE or...

Have you ever studied the faces in the subway, weary, smiling, puzzled, frowning, and wondered about their thoughts? I have, even as I know that their "inside stories" are their own.

My line moved more quickly now and the magazines gave way to a sale on giant candy bars. I averted my eyes from temptation and went on with my ruminations. If there is no inner life, no inside story, as it were, how does a person function. Our inner struggles are such a part of who we are and how we act when that inner becomes the outer.

I know the tell-all magazines don't give a hoot about the inner lives we each struggle to keep in balance, but I am sure our stories are much richer and more grace-filled than one more titillating account of a starlet's addictions.

As I paid for my toothpaste and thanked the clerk, I wondered about his internal journey. I silently gifted him with a prayer as I put away my change.

And you? Are you working on your inside story, one that only you and God really know? It is beyond price.