Storying…

Have you ever wondered…. why do we love stories?

Is it the adventure of going far, far away to very different places that are mysterious, enchanted, dangerous, or serenely tranquil… Imagining ourselves to be a lovely maiden who will triumph though adversity becoming a princess? Someone once compared storytelling to the first flight simulator. And it’s true, stories do excite and enthrall.

Anthropologically speaking, storytelling has always been a permanent fixture of mans’ existence and in fact, crosses all cultural lines. And why is that? …Well… we could postulate that man is a uniquely social entity and stories are uniquely social objects and thereby, on that basis, we are drawn to them. Others claim we need stories to examine and explore conceptual ideas, issues of morality, complex social relationships and to creatively process the intricacies of life in a fun and non-threatening way. Hmmm…

Alex Tiazon, a Seattle journalist once said, “Stories give shape to experience and allow us to go through life unblind. With that being said, he is right, there is a strong empathetic connection experienced with storying.
Speaking of which, I went to the movies last night and saw Hunger Games. Although it was very hard to watch, I liked the story very much. The basic plot is about sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen, who must make impossible choices in a gladiator-game-like experience that pits survival against humanity, life and love.

My question or two questions, I should say, after viewing this film are, How could this happen? And, why could this happen? These questions are universal, and eternal questions that we all find ourselves asking at one time in our life or another. And more often than not, especially if we have any type of faith-based belief system, the latter morphs into, Why, God? Two little words… just two words, that’s all it took and lightening fast we find ourselves in a tail spin… without power, spinning, flipping end-over-end, manically out of control imagining ourselves smashed into pieces into the firmament below.

How do we endure death and loss? Well… when you are the one in it, it’s not like you have a choice to be there and if you could give your right arm to get out, you would. But how does one, pass through… finding a new semblance of normal. Since this is an eternal question, a God-question, we must realize that first and foremost it is a ‘Trust’ question. Do we trust God? Do we trust God enough in our circumstances?

How well do we know God? Do we know Him as He truly is … Do we know His character, His purpose, His love for us and others… do we know Him enough to trust Him? Sadly, many of us don’t and when something happens, we are forced to examine our world view or God-view, in light of His true identity and only then, will we escape the confines of circumstances and emotions and hopefully grow towards Him. God, being both tender and grace giving, is available to us as we live in this fallen and evil world, and is hoping we will turn back to Him.

In the Bible are books that are also called the Injil. And in the Injil are stories about Jesus who is also called Isa. If we want to know God, and behold the nature of His character, as He truly is, we have only to look to Isa who is God made into flesh (John 1:14).

The Injil says, in John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”.

His light is shining out into our darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it unless…unless, we let it by giving it power within our circumstance. Will you, will I, let God shine into our darkness to conquer it once and for all?

Isa has power over darkness because He created light, He is light and He sent that light into the world by becoming a man and defeating darkness for all time. Isa is “the true light, which enlightens everyone” (John 1:9). Isa came “to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1: 77-79).”

Will you explore the story of Isa and let Him open your eyes, open my eyes… to see Him as He truly is?