The Art of Storytelling

A good storyteller is a person with a good memory and hopes other people haven't.
Irvin S. Cobb

It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.
Native American saying

I love to hear a good storyteller. It fascinates me to see how they can embellish it and transform the tale each time they tell it so that it fits their current situation. My mother is one of those people and on occasion when she is telling a story, I will think to myself, “Who is she talking about?” and then I realize that it is about me or someone else in my family, but she has transformed the story to be bigger, better and much more elaborate than when it actually happened.

Another friend who likes to tell stories often does it to recall fun past experiences, but can get the details skewed a bit so that it might take several people to help get the story straight. Part of the fun of listening to him tell the story is the input from the crowd in assisting putting the pieces together, since most people have heard them numerous times, but love hearing them over and over again. 

The Bible is filled with stories about war and peace, love and hatred, families and individuals, life and death, adventure and solitude, joy and pain. In fact Jesus is the master storyteller, engaging His audience and challenging them to think. Each of God’s stories that have been recorded for us has a purpose, sometimes as a warning, but always to teach and guide.

God’s stories do not change like my mother’s or my friend’s; the translation might be different and the interpretation may vary, but the substance has been recorded for our benefit. We can read the Bible as a novel, but the better way of delving into it is to seek what God is saying to us and how it should affect the way we live our lives each day. Will you listen to one of Jesus’ stories today to see what He wants to say to you? 

My people, hear my teaching;
   listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
   I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
   things our ancestors have told us.
Psalm 78:1-3

www.hearthope.org

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