The Power of Stories
Posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 by Ali Johnson
To be a human being is have a story. Story is the vehicle that give structure and order to our lives. Instead of trying to make sense of the literally millions of independent events that comprise our lives, we intuitively organize them into an orderly sequence of events. We have a past, a sense of where we came from; a middle, who we are now; and a future, what we aspire to become. This is essentially the same structure – beginning,
middle, end – that makes up a story.
Stories are how we convey our deepest emotions and talk about those things that we value the most. It is through the stories we tell that we are most able to portray the fullest array of human emotion.
Stories speak to us on a number of levels. They appeal to our reason and intellect my providing information to bolster arguments and help us make informed decisions. Emotionally they bond us to others who share the same story others who share the same story and give us a sense of belonging and community. And finally, they are the connection to a long forgotten past that is the rich source of the images and symbols that unconsciously motivate our behavior today.
Stories unlock to the imagination and let it run wild. However without connection stories are merely words on a page. It is in our connection with the stories that truths are unlocked to us. Jesus considered stories to be an incredibly powerful vehicle to unlock the truths of God that are outside of and equation or a theory. What is your story and how often do you share it?
One Response to “The Power of Stories”
Comment by Bx on April 29, 2010
Hi Ali, I really like your opening sentence. I’ve never really thought about it like that. I love listening to other peoples stories but never thought that mine would ever be worth listening to. Reading this gives me some hope.
Thank you. Bx
