All good stories, whatever the form, have the ability to pull us in and engage our hearts. We see ourselves in the story. We are the hero, or the warrior, the beautiful queen or daring adventurer, or the one struggling against adversity. The Lord of the Rings, Bravehearts, The Notebook, and others invite us to engage and dream of what could be, or what is, or remember what was once true for us. Leaving a good movie, my heart feels full and satisfied.
Why then is it so easy for me to immerse myself in a movie and miss the themes of my life? I frequently hear in group, Why tell my story at all? Do I even have a story worth listening to? How do I know? Story? What story?
We meet someone for the first time, and within the first few minutes of conversation we ask, What is your name? What do you do? Do you have children? The answer could be I’m Stan. I grew up in
Why do we think our story is of less importance than a movie or a good book and label them small or mundane? When did we stop dreaming and believing our life could be part of a grand adventure? Many of us can name the facts of our lives, but it can feel more like a newspaper account than a good novel. We think we are safe when we flee behind high walls of indifference, numbness, or forgetfulness. We are not safe. We are numb to joy and sorrow. The full sweetness of life is lost to us.
Frankly it’s easier and less painful to not look deeply and honestly at our lives. It takes courage to speak the truth. We will need to be willing to face what we find. Identifying the themes of our stories, has the potential to show us what we believe and feel about ourselves, others and God. When we pause and allow ourselves to savor truth slowly, then we create room for our hearts to change and expand. In this place we can hear how God feels about us. Telling our stories is a large part of what we do in Grace Groups.
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