Why tell a story?
Before the written word, stories were all we had. They brought forward the past. They knitted together the family, the tribe in ever widening concentric social circles. There was always a wise man, a shaman, who knew and related these cherished stories. Without these stories - histories - there was no shared sense of community, connection and purpose.
Why is history such a bore? Columbus in 1492? The Hundred Years war? The birth of our country in 1776? Dates, events, movements, wars collated and defined simply as dates and major trends. How boring. Why not promote narrative history filled with the dreams, the character, and the passion of those who create historical events? History should be taught as an ongoing story – a story filled with the emotions and character of the people creating the events which are recorded as history.
Why do children love to be told stories? Why do parents love to tell stories to their kids? It is a simple but vital way to communicate an understanding of the child’s surroundings and their place in it. A child’s early years without stories is a bleak landscape leading nowhere.
We are, at our core, remembering and story making creatures, and stories are one of the chief ways we find meaning in the flow of events. The magnificent story of the creation and building of our country is the perfect example of the power of a shared story. It is a beautiful story which, in its repeated telling, ties us all together in shared beliefs.
The Bible is not just a collection of inspiring tales, wise advice, warnings and predictions. It is a story. The Old Testament is the ongoing story of a people chosen to produce the Savior. It chronicles and predicts in story form the coming of the Savior. The New Testament continues the story as it describes the life and progress of Jesus as predicted by the Old Testament. It is truly the greatest story ever told.
A story should never die. The only way to keep it alive is to record it and retell it. Record your stories and make sure they are retold.