The Story We Tell

² Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart – Psalms 119:2

Recently I was able to sit down for lunch with someone who represented a community I am largely unfamiliar with. As a 30 something white male, my scope of life is somewhat limited. Of course we are all limited by our identity to a certain extent, but with my current role, it is crucial that I seek out those with different backgrounds to be effective. Maybe this is how God both humbles and teaches us, by urging conversation with those we all too rarely interact with. This discovery is how He ties the loose ends of history and redemption.

The insight he gave me was valuable to life beyond my career. In explaining his community and the students I was working with, he shared the importance of the stories we tell. He said that the element of story has an undeniable role in the students lives. From history, family, and education it was important to share story but then also invite them into the future decision making. My role is to not give them the answers, but to provide them with possible stories of their lives that can be written with their decisions. By imagining this, they may be able to choose differently, but in the end, we have to give them the autonomy to choose.

In seeking Christ, the story we tell is just as crucial. Many of us have believed stories that are incomplete or perhaps even incorrect, and these “testimonies” change the way we live and thrive. Story is the most invaluable tool we have to sharing and living the Gospel. Sadly, many pulpits use story only to try and convince and sway instead of encourage and imagine. These “testimonies” come from a heart set steady on the finished work of Christ. It thrives in the present and imagines hopefully in the future.

What stories do you tell with your life?

What do you imagine?

What is your “testimony”?

Today, be a storyteller.