We are Our Stories
from Cossondra
I love hearing someone tell a good story. Storytelling is a craft in which foundations are laid, characters are developed, and conflicts can come from anywhere.
When I taught high school poetry, we always brought in songs that told stories when discussing narrative poetry. We discussed the differences between what made a narrative and what was simply descriptive (or nonsense). I found that letting students present songs they knew and liked opened up discussions and brought other students understanding about narratives, music, and their classmates.
One of the songs I brought in was "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." The Edmund Fitzgerald was a massive iron ore vessel, more than two football fields long. For nearly 20 years, she worked the waters of Lake Superior, delivering ore to mills who would turn it into steel. Then, in November 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared suddenly from radar during a storm. There was no mayday call, no wreckage to be found, only empty lifeboats and rafts. All twenty-nine crew members were lost, entombed in the ship at the bottom of Lake Superior. The following year, folksinger Gordon Lightfoot composed a narrative song about the Fitzgerald that helped create the ship's legend and earned him a Composer of the Year Award. It was a hit song at six minutes long when most songs on the radio were usually half of that. But it told a captivating story full of humanity and loss and mystery. And stories are powerful.
The gospel is often called The Greatest Story ever told. And, it's long, too -- much longer than any hit record. But as long as it is, there are even more chapters than what is recorded in the Bible. The apostle John said, "Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25) Jesus is still doing them today. He didn't stop 2000 years ago. He is adding to and hopefully directing our stories every day.
Have you heard the hymn "I Love to Tell the Story"? It was adapted from a poem written by Englishwoman Katherine Hankey after she had recovered from a prolonged illness in the mid-1800s. Her poem was around a hundred stanzas long! Hankey wrote about the entire Bible. She started with events in the Garden of Eden, moved through the Old Testament, then Christ's birth, death, resurrection, and even His acts recorded in Revelation. Hankey really did love to tell the story! She embraced hearing and teaching the story of Jesus, the ultimate presentation of God's love.
We are our stories.
Whether we have been affected by blessings or sickness or wealth or poverty, our stories help develop us into who we are. Our stories are personal, unique. Some people can have a similar story but have different responses and reactions to the conflicts that come.
There are chapters you haven't recorded for others to hear in your stories. Perhaps there is a chapter of pain, struggle, or even joy that you haven't shared. Maybe you haven't taken the time to examine some of them yourself. But whether you share your narratives or not, remember that our stories make us who we are. Good and bad, long and short.
If you have a lousy story that you haven't examined, maybe it's time. Sit down with it in prayer with the Lord, with a friend, or a counselor. Allow it to intertwine with the Greatest Story Ever Told. Where was God in the story? I know He was there. He is always with us. Remember that John said that books couldn't contain everything Jesus accomplished. Your stories are in those unwritten books.
I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.Psalm 78:2-4
Reconsider the narratives. Time may alter your perspective. Things may be more apparent now than they once were, or they may be foggy, confusing. Maybe it's a long story, years of events. Perhaps it was something that happened so suddenly you didn't have time to ask for help. On the other hand, it could be an extraordinary event that you overlooked because of busyness.
Your stories make you who you are. If you don't take time to sit with them and explore them, you overlook an opportunity to grow from them. You are a unique individual, created by God's hands. You have stories in His books. So, with God leading you, put your narratives to imaginary music, look at them with a fresh perspective. Your stories are meaningful. After all, they are part of the Greatest Story Ever Told.
