Story-telling reminds, it speaks a message of truth recalled for enlightenment.
C.S. Lewis
There are many paths that can lead to a discerning heart. The source of discernment, however, remains unchanging. Though God stays the same, his form of communicating and connecting with us is never boring. He uses his creativity to speak into our lives. It is no wonder God has chosen storytelling as one way to commune. God animates his love for us through narration. He enlivens our imagination and hopes through the story of redemption. Through story, God becomes known and assessable to our human way of interpreting the world around us. A good storyteller moves the soul while enlightening a new way of thinking. God’s storytelling captivates us by telling of truths that change us forever. Whether by parable, poetry, or prose, God’s stories are treasures that speak deeply to our hearts so we may know him more intimately.
“If you want someone to hear the truth, you should tell them the truth. But if you want someone to LOVE the truth, you should tell them a story.”
Fables, fairy tales, myths, and legends; we all grew up hearing stories. From family history, tales about Santa Claus, to our favorite bedtime story, the world and how to live in it came to life for us through narratives.
Throughout history, people have passed on their traditions, values, and culture through storytelling. By oral tradition, early humans formed identity and knew the rules of survival. When we remember these tales today, we too are able to experience a fuller view of life. They reveal our connectedness to one another throughout time and how the human mind processes knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. All stories may not be factual, but most stories hold elements of truth that remain forever relevant for life. Stories open pathways for understanding the present by reminding us of lessons learned. Recalling stories filled with age-old wisdom is one way of discerning. That is why we retell these tales again and again because their lessons never cease to be of value to ourselves or our society.
Storytelling as our Heart-Language
From Hans Christian Anderson, Greek mythology, Native American and Chinese legends, to stories about Johnny Appleseed, Moses, and Sinbad the Sailor, all people and cultures have stories explaining their historical origin, which character traits are honorable, their moral or religious values, traditions and humor to pass them from generation-to-generation in order to continue the legacy and truths of their people. Storytelling is creations’ way of trying to explain and make sense of the world around us, it is a basic way of discerning. As God breathed his soul into us, his storytelling nature became part of our being. By original design, we are drawn to stories because it is a language our creator spoke into our soul. I imagine part of us longs to walk in the garden sharing stories with God once more. Stories stir up a longing for what’s been lost–knowing God intimately, hearing his stories. As we engage with God’s stories in the Bible, I believe they leave us disoriented and searching. Hearing them is like God’s breath blowing a dusty-film from our dormant soul because suddenly we are hearing our heart language once more.
As the original author, God’s left us stories to draw us to himself because he knows they call to us. In story we get caught up, learn new insights, find adventure and mystery, find ourselves in a new world and let go of the stresses of life. When we read God’s stories he’s inviting us to jump in, find what’s missing, and get caught up with him. Storytelling is one way God wants to relate to us and speak with us.
Stories Fuel Our Longing
The Old Testament is full of eclectic characters and tales of people like Samson, Deborah, Noah, King David, Ruth, and Joseph. God made sure these peoples’ lives would be recorded in story form so that they’d be spoken throughout the course of time; retold by parents to their children generation after generation. These early stories testify to God’s gentle care of those he loves, despite imperfection, and his persistence in loving his creation. They are the early threads that weave their way to Christ and through to us. These individual narratives develop our family tree and unpack our heritage all the while progressing a larger narrative. These magnificent stories have what every good story needs; good vs. evil, overcoming struggles by having hope, underdogs made victorious by God, adventure, battles, mundane life, moments of desperation or elation, real-life doubts, life-long lessons, all with one overarching aim; to know God and to love him with all our heart, mind and soul.
To understand this more historically and theologically I hope you’ll watch this video. By chance, I came upon a podcast from The Bible Project that introduced me to Jewish Meditation Literature. This video is a brief introduction to how Old Testament Literature was read throughout Jewish tradition. As the name explains, the Jewish texts were intended to be meditated upon and repeated over the course of our lives. If you struggle to relate to Old Testament stories and meanings, this may bring some encouragement to how you engage with the ancient text.
These ancient stories inspire us to continue our pilgrimage toward a restored relationship with God. When we meditate on these stories they lead us to Jesus; where we come face-to-face with God.
Jesus Invites Us to Join the Story
Jesus, being fully God, is also known for spinning a few tales. He knows how deeply a story reaches into our soul. And so when we encounter him in the story, he invites us to commune with him through stories known as parables, but Jesus’ stories are unsettling. They shake us from our complacency and cause us to take pause; to wonder, to think, to doubt, to wrestle with what we thought was true. As strange as his stories on horticulture to monetary investments seem to us today their intentions were clear. His stories weren’t meant to be bedtime stories, rather they were spoken to confront creation by addressing our areas of sin and misunderstanding of God’s kingdom. Parables were intended to bring clarity to a muddled situation; to provide visual aids on how we’d be able to find our way back to the original storyteller. Jesus’ stories force us to come to terms with our sin, recognize our inability to earn our own salvation, and receive his sacrifice as our only way back to God. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, creation was groaning in desperation. We cannot imagine a world without grace, forgiveness, or the cross. We can’t imagine toiling in works and sacrifice for penance. Lent is a season to aid us in imagining life without hope, so I encourage you to imagine what the world pre-Jesus might have felt like.
By the time Jesus meets us in the story, the world is at a crossroads and we are standing in the middle. We will either jump into the narrative and face our foe with Christ or decline and let death be our victor, either way, the story affects us.
Adopting the Story as Our Own
If we chose to allow Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to become our victory over sin, God’s stories become more than tales, they become discerning signposts. They are like children’s books teaching us what is right, good, worthy, loving, and true by helping us keep our hearts set on God as we read them over and over. As we adopt the story as ours, it is no longer just words on a page, it is a source of life, clarity in confusion, comfort in suffering or disappointment, and encouragement when we feel lost in day-to-day life. It is living water filled with promises to sustain us as we join with the trinitarian God and the global Church in reclaiming God’s Kingdom on earth.
Seeing the Signposts in God’s Narrative
As the video mentioned, the stories may not make sense to us right away, but as we read, meditate, ponder and discuss God’s stories, the Bible interprets itself (remember it’s the living Word of God) until it starts to read you. The more we steep in God’s narrative the more it will illuminate our path and hone in our listening to God’s voice in our lives. Allowing God’s story to captivate our hearts and souls leads us toward discernment and the bearing of spiritual fruit. Simply let yourselves get swept away by the narrative.
Through the Holy Spirit, God’s stories speak to us today in times of mystery, decision-making, trial, and despair because the relevance, like God’s nature, is unchanging. Through story-telling, God meets us, relates with us, and invites us to live in fullness. His story is alive, it feeds our souls, and is inspired to change the course of humanity.
“Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write. For only in such response do we find truth. Further, stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.”
Madeleine L’Engle
Think over all the lessons you’ve learned through storytelling, have any changed your life? Can you imagine that God has more for you waiting within his story? If not, I encourage you to try it out. Trying listening to God’s story through an app that reads out loud to you. Maybe by listening to God’s word in storytelling form it may awaken a new part of your spirit, allowing you to hear it in a fresh way, thus opening you to deeper discernment.
Closing Note: I want to conclude by saying that I believe God’s word is inspired and speaks deep truths to our hearts, but I also believe that just because we open it up and start reading doesn’t mean we will always gain some deep mystery or practical insight. God’s word is not a magic eightball waiting with all the answers. I will talk more about this when we look into the Bible. However, I hope from this we gain an awareness of God’s heart in storytelling and that it speaks something invaluable to us in a language we can understand. The stories may not make sense today, or in a month, or year, but the greater story and the smaller narratives transform our lives, mind, and heart to be like Christ’s and the more we hear them and let them wash over us, they will do a good work in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we join with Christ, we become part of the story God is writing for all eternity.
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