I am not the only one who loves stories.
How do you want to be told something? Would a list of actions be of interest, or would you rather engage in a fascinating narrative with character, movement and a resolution? I overhear conversations from time to time. That story style of conveying life strikes at the heart of what we are. We are not a collection of statistics, there is more to life than reeling off figures.
Life would lack in meaning if it was described as that. When someone asks about your background, they’re asking for your story. When they ask about your day, they’re asking for your story. In fact, when they ask how are you, in as much as it is used glibly, it’s a request for permission to hear your story. No not the whole book, but an episode or part of an episode.
People don’t need much permission to unleash their story. Some will take the smallest excuse to launch into their epic retelling of their story.
We owe it to people in a bid to build relationships to let them share their story. Seek to understand it and engage with it. We are often guilty of not taking the other person’s story seriously. When that happens, no wonder we are not treated seriously either.
Something, however, that can get lost in appealing to others is the story we have to share.
It’s intriguing reading the occasions Jesus had with folks where He told people not to say anything. I sometimes wonder why that is. What’s in no doubt, though, is when He rose from the dead He gave permission for His story to be spread. His Spirit in us compels us to tell the story not just as something there and then but here and now.
It’s the most important story we have to share. We don’t need permission, we have permission. In a world packed with less compelling and transformative stories, it’s not imposing a worldview. It’s the sharing of a story to invite others to get involved in this glorious good news.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 