First Baptist Church of Herndon

A Powerful Story

Linda Soller | Mar 28, 2016

Some of the most vivid memories I have of my dad involve his storytelling. As a child I loved the voices he would make as he read books to us. But that kind of storytelling is not what I am referring to here. As we drove places, especially longer trips, he would often fill the silence with stories. These stories dealt with his childhood, or his historical knowledge of an area, or sometimes other memories.  I never could read in the car without getting motion sickness, so the conversation and storytelling helped make the trip go faster. Eventually we would hear a story repeated. There would be laughter and grins as we finished his sentences. Inconsequential as the stories seemed at the time, those stories have stuck with me and helped me understand my father’s roots and values. I learned a great deal about him and about life.

Pause for a second and think of a story you would tell a friend right at this moment which would help them know what you were like as a kid. I’ll wait… How did it go? Were you able to think of one little snippet that provided a picture of what you looked like, acted like, or thought about the world. If you really tried I feel sure you were able to come up with one, if not more. I also feel sure if you shared that story with a friend they would remember parts of it and know you better. We cling to a story. Predictable or not, a story has a pattern, a beginning, a middle, and an end. We are able to organize it in our brain and store it.

Jesus was a great storyteller. As He traveled about He understood He would be dealing with all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds. His stories would help them hear and remember, even if the full message didn’t kick in until later. The stories He relayed were relatable to their everyday lives, which made them even easier to understand. Amazingly those stories are still very relatable. His stories bridged nationalities and experiences. His stories used the culture of His listeners to help them hear His message. I can almost imagine His audience laughing as they related to some of His stories. I feel sure His stories also made some uncomfortable when they hit too close to home. No matter how they were received initially, they had power. The message in the stories could be heard. We hear those messages today.

Your life is a powerful story. It may teach others what they should do, or maybe what they shouldn’t do. Your story passes down memories which form the basis of family history. Family histories combine to form the bigger history of community, country, and culture. Jesus knew He might only get one encounter with a person and the impact of that meeting would be increased by a powerful story. The story of His life is a powerful one, and yours can be too.

Have a great week!    :o)  Linda