I love stories. Good, creative, interesting stories.
Not just the stories from screens. TV or theater or computers or phones or any of our other many devices.
Not just stories in the news reports or sports scores or latest songs.
But the stories from normal people in every day life. Laughter and conversations at a Friday morning breakfast. Students telling about their life journeys in a classroom. Friends together to help offer support, endurance, prayer. People actually listening to one another. A Sunday church service ending but no one leaving—choosing instead to talk and listen. A home group gathering where honesty is allowed and welcomed.
Conversations while walking, while waiting, while riding. Eye to eye. Face to face. In person. Listening well. Actually listening well. Questions asked. Answers heard. Relationships built.
Through stories.
Stories. About hope and hurt, wounds and endurance, relationship scars and relationship support, about broken families and true friendships, about prayers answered and the journey of waiting.
Stories. Told and heard. Bringing laughter or tears. Fun to tell or difficult to confess.
Stories. What story have you read or heard which triggered you to reflect on your own story? What parts of your story are still painful? What do you hope is the next chapter of your story? How can you help make that happen? Who can you ask for help?
Some parts of our stories are out of our control.
Some parts of our stories are all about our decisions.
Let’s do things today to guide our stories in the right direction.
We might love that story. And many others might be waiting for our story.
