Tell me a story…
Words fascinate me. Their power is universally recognized and every culture, in some way, honors those who use them well. And who doesn’t enjoy a good story teller? 😊
Sometimes my imagining mind looks at my life as just a long story told by those who have helped form me with their words. Here is my Oupa, still sweaty from the day’s hard labour at his anvil, regaling us with the latest mishap in the smithy. Here is my preacher dad, holding Sunday school kids spellbound as the boy who lost his little boat or preaching sinners to the altar sharing the story of Jesus. Here is my brother, telling himself superhero tales in the dark to chase away the fear that haunts many a child, while we giggle, crouched at his door. Here is the deeply suntanned game ranger with his scary-animal adventures, our faces all orange-red in the glow of the camp fire.
I admire good story tellers – I am married to one 😊. They take us into worlds we may not know, and, if they do a really good job, we will not forget. And the best stories change us for the good, burying a seed of truth for future harvest.
Jesus surely understood this, telling stories that made the truth accessible, even if it was hard to swallow! And the Bible is a long narrative of the ways God has exerted himself to include us in the redemption story. I am awed by his persistent pursuit of Israel even when they chose other gods and I gratefully acknowledge that his dealings with me also reflect that commitment!
The psalmist wrote: “Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.” Psalm 45:1
One of my favorite Gospel songs of all time has this verse:
“Could we with ink the ocean fill, or were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky!”
Now I’m singing, “Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word……”
