Don't we all just love a good story? You know, a great romance, a stirring hero story, or an amazing survival story. We all love a good story.
I have loved to read since the day I learned, I guess. And reading the book was always better than seeing the movie. I could imagine the characters just as I wanted to and could really see them interacting in my mind's eye. Reading was my favorite activity and I often lost a great deal of sleep because I just couldn't put the book down.
My kids loved for me to tell them stories. Especially stories about themselves...the day they were born, some trip we had taken, or some special event they wanted to remember. They would ask me to tell the stories over and over again.
Stories have a way of resonating with us like nothing else. Maybe it is the way the storyteller tells the story. Maybe it's the connection we feel with the storyteller or with the subject matter. Maybe it's just that we are hearing a time-honored truth in a new way that strikes us differently than it has before.
The disciples asked Jesus one day why He told stories. He tells them that they have been given special insight into God's kingdom and know how it all works. But many other people don't have that insight. Jesus is trying to help them open up their minds and their hearts to receive what God has for them. He said, "That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight (The Message)."
As Christians we probably know a lot about Jesus. We may have even studied and debated some of the finer points of doctrine for many years. But folks out there who don't know Jesus just need to hear a story. They need to hear how much God loves them and how much Jesus has done for them. Then maybe they will become ready to hear the weightier points of God's word.
For now, let's just tell them the old, old story. You know, the one about Jesus!
- Holly Barrett
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