The power of a story
Narratives can be very powerful. Good stories can give you great joy, produce awe and fear, or make you feel a sense of heroism. What’s more, they can help you become more courageous, spark great ideas and produce ambition. Good stories can also help teach Truth.
Stories teach
One of the most impactful and meaningful ways to teach moral lessons and truth in the context of a story. Think of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 11:15-32). From this parable we learn through the example of the father who welcomes back his son that our Father in heaven is a gracious God who will joyfully embrace those who turn to him, even when that person has been steeped in licentious, sinful living. We also learn through the character of the older brother about the self-righteousness of the religious teachers, who cannot fathom a sinner being welcomed into the house of the Lord.
It’s easy to identify ourselves with the younger sibling who returns to his father’s house in repentance, but you and I may also identify with the older brother. We may be self-righteous when we cannot imagine a person who has spent a lifetime in sin, who may have even wronged us in a personal way, being embraced by the Father after turning to Him in repentance.
Jesus could have simply said, “God is loving and patient.”
He could have told us, “Examine yourself and make sure you are not being self-righteous.”
But those truths are much more penetrating when presented through a story.
A faithful life story
I’ve recently read a short biography on the life of missionary Adoniram Judson. His ministry was incredibly impactful, and although the book wasn’t designed to teach, I have learned much from reading about him.
In thinking about his life, I cannot help but reflect on the narrative of my life. If my life were to read like a story, what would it teach about God, parenting, being a faithful husband and pastoral ministry? If my life was a book, how would it encourage readers? Your life and my life are narratives, and as long as we are still breathing, they continue to be written.
We may not be an Adoniram Judson, and that’s okay. God is not looking for a bunch of Adoniram Judsons – He is looking for men and women who love Him and love others as they follow Christ daily.
Do you see your life as a story? Or do you see your life as a compilation of days and weeks and months and years that are totally fragmented with no meaning or cohesion at all? Christ has saved you! The most significant event of your life is that Jesus turned you away from sin and towards Himself and has given you salvation and eternal life. Because of the Gospel, your life story has taken on a whole new meaning, namely because you are no longer living for yourself.
How does your story point to God?
You may be a husband, wife, parent, engineer, pastor or friend. But your primary calling in life is to live for the glory of God. When you see that as the grand mission of your life, it changes everything from taking care your family, to leading a church, to even the most mundane tasks of each day. Even the seemingly insignificant events of your life are not insignificant at all when you realize that you are to do everything for the glory of God.
I’m convinced that one of the primary reasons why we may struggle to live with godly ambition is because we don’t realize, or are prone to forget, that we are running towards a glorious finish found in Christ (1Cor 9:24-25; Phi 3:14; 2Pet 3:13). As long as you are living for Christ, the conclusion is guaranteed. What will be different for each one of us is the manner in which we live our lives along the way.
Your life may never be written in a book or blog for others to read. But the Lord is writing and reading your story. How does God see His glory in your life? And what do others learn about God through your life?
Ademi Mirabal is the pastor of Seacoast Community Church in Portsmouth, NH. You can reach him at ademi@sccnh.com.