In his novel, Edge of Eternity, Randy Alcorn compares our lives on earth to those of the characters in a novel. He writes:

Each character is placed in a setting by the novelist; each expands or contracts his part through the choices he makes. Play your part gladly, but do not waste your time trying to make your role more important. The more a player in the drama elevates his part, the less he fulfills it. And the less is written of him in the Book, no matter how much is written in the Shadowlands.