Stories can move hearts & engage minds.
I enjoy good stories. Fiction or non-fiction, stories can depict truth in powerful ways and engage the imaginative abilities of our minds tremendously. I've read 14 non-fiction books this month. Ranging from Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle Madeleine, and The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner, to name a few. An intriguing statement was made in another book I read named Sliverswift by Natalie Lloyd.
I believe it was Nana Mora who told Eliza, “No one is ever too old for fairytales unless they decide they are.” This statement got me thinking about stories. Stories like The Chronicles of Narnia have stood the test of time and have made children and even adults smile and happy. Stories like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (I am reading this series now), Star Wars, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and so many others that strum the heartstrings of humanity. Why do humans love stories so much? Why do stories resonate with us, stay in our hearts, engage our minds and stir our emotions so much? It's because of the Ultimate Story, the Story of all stories, the one that begins in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (NASB) and ends in Revelation 22:21 with an "Amen." In between those two verses, you'll find the story of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit's intervention in the history and future of the world. The reason some stories are so profound is that they are echoes of the Ultimate Story. The redemption story of Annakin Skywalker and Kylo Ren echoes the truth that no one is too far gone, the grace of God can save all of humanity that has fully succumbed to the dark side! The epic battle between good and evil in the Lord of the Rings, echoing the truth that Satan (Sauron) will fall! "In the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." -Samwise Gamgee. Tony Stark sacrificing himself to save humanity in Avengers: Endgame echoes the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the whole world on an old rugged cross thousands of years ago. Some stories echo the Ultimate Story more directly, some indirectly, and others not at all but if you pay close attention, you'll see echoes all around you. Our very lives are stories and we have the blessed opportunity to let the Ultimate Story, the one about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ make an eternal difference in our lives. No one is ever too old for stories unless they decide they are. No one has a story that isn't worth listening to. No one has a story that can't be redeemed by God's grace. No one has a story that can't be interwoven into the Ultimate Story. Is your story a part of the Story of all stories? “When your story meets God’s story, He’ll give you a greater story.”- Sam Collier