I love stories. While many argue that nonfiction is the only way to truly learn, I process many times better if I am reading a narrative. Solid, accurate, historical fiction drives history into my memory better than any study session. A scientist’s biography helps me grasp a scientific concept so much more readily than a textbook.
For me, story truly is a powerful medium
As I ponder the power of stories, I see how every narrative comes back to one beautiful story—that of redemption. A story in which God did not just tell us of his love. He showed it. And then he preserved the story for generations to come.
I’ll admit, when I was young, our redemption was just a story to my immature mind. But as I grew older and dug a little deeper, holding it up against the whole picture of God’s plan for mankind, the redemption story grew in my heart. It became much more meaningful. Much more powerful.
Each year, the Christmas celebrations we treasure and the Easter joy that soon follows are so much more than tales of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. They are living testaments to His work throughout creation. They are about the salvation and growth of ourselves and our children. They are about life itself.
These stories are simple, yet phenomenally profound. They are clear, yet complex. Fixed in time, yet impacting all of creation for all of time. And that impact shines through life after life and story after story, resonating throughout history.
They equip us to teach our children. They mend relationships. They guide every aspect of what we do.
They melt hardened hearts and move God’s people to action.
The most beautiful truth is that I have a story as well. And so do you! Think about that for a moment. How has God used you? How is he working in and through you right now? Even if only a few hear your story, how will those few be impacted? I know they will be, if God is writing your story.
I want to reflect God’s story of redemption in everything I do. And I pray, dear reader, that as you see the power that God’s story holds, that your heart and mind will also be renewed to reflect His story through the story of your own life.