Tell The Story

And from that time Jesus began to tell the people…Matthew 4:17

Can you think of something you loved to do as a child that you enjoy just as much today?  One of the things on my list is listening to stories from my dad’s childhood.  Even if I’ve heard some of the stories again and again, I just love to listen to him.  I really love it on the rare occasion when I get to sit down with my aunts and uncles and listen to them all chime in and laugh and add details the other might have forgotten.  Sometimes I feel like I’m being catapulted right into the middle of the story myself.  I can remember the names of people and places that were never a part of my life because their stories have been handed down with such detail and emotion.  I wasn’t alive when WWII ended but I’ve heard my dad tell about that day when he was a little boy and Grandpa closed up the store so they could load up the car and drive around with a picnic lunch celebrating. I’ve never lived in the day of prohibition but I know stories about young men and their fast cars that carried bootleg whiskey across state lines.  I’ve never known a life without indoor plumbing or electricity but the stories make me realize I’m blessed by my abundance but lacking in the simplicity and peacefulness of that time.   Not all of the stories are fun, some are hard to tell and hard to hear but they are all a part of the story of my family and God’s fingerprint is so clear throughout.  I’m always sad when the conversation ends.  I just want to know every part of the story.

 Jesus had a magnificent story, a story of heaven.  He didn’t talk about it like a distant mystical place; He talked about it like it was home.  His stories were rich with detail and hope.  He had a way of drawing people in and they would sit at his feet and listen as long as he spoke.  I can’t imagine what it would have been like to sit there and listen, to be inspired and amazed and encouraged. 

A young person recently made me realize how important it is to share the stories of our life and our family and our faith.  I came away from my conversation with her realizing we need to share the most important part of our story…the part that lets people know what God is doing in our lives.  Some think faith is a private thing; a personal thing.  What if Jesus had thought that very same thing?  What if he’d kept the news of his Father private and personal and never shared the details and the emotion with his followers?  What would have happened if the Apostles had kept the story of Jesus to themselves?  

When you sit down to tell your stories, past and present…tell them the whole story. Tell them how  God has been a part of your history, your life, your success and struggle?  We can’t assume our others know about our Faith…we have to tell the story for the same reason Jesus did, to inspire, encourage and amaze.

A Seed To Plant: Make a list this week of the ten greatest ways God has been a part of your history.  Share at least three of those before the month ends.

Blessings on your day!