telling our stories

while reading some henri nouwen last night, i read something that really got me thinking. he writes, "the rabbis guide their people with stories; ministers usually guide with ideas and theories. we need to become story-tellers again, and so multiply our ministry by calling around us the great witnesses who in different ways offer guidance to doubting hearts. one of the remarkable qualities of the story is that it creates space. we can dwell in a story, walk around, find our own place. the story confronts but does not oppress; the story inspires but does not manipulate. the story invites us to an encounter, a dialog, a mutual sharing. a story that guides is a story that opens a door and offers us space in which to search and boundaries to help us find what we seek, but it does not tell us what to do or how to do it. the story brings us into touch with the vision and so guides us. wiesel writes, 'god made man because he loves stories.' as long as we can remind each other of the lives of men and women in whom the love of god becomes manifest, there is reason to move forward to new land in which new stories are hidden."

too often i forget that being a christian means being a part of a story, and i simply reduce it to a set of beliefs. when i do this, i fail to utilize one of the most powerful things god has blessed us with - the story of his salvation. instead, i like to wax philosophical about what christianity should be - what it means to believe and act correctly. nouwen reminds me, though, that the christian community has to be a community that encourages and builds each other up in the faith with stories. i don't think that these stories are restricted to those who came before us. i think that the christian community has to be an open, sharing community - a community that not only holds to a set of beliefs but talks about the struggles of living out those beliefs. we have to be authentic with each other. we have to share the worse parts of our lives, so we can share the best. we have to share our salvation stories.

thomas g. pettepiece points out that "there are people who have curled up and died in a corner for no reason other than they lost hope." story-telling is how we offer hope. it is how we say, "you know what? i mess up in life, too. i have been down and out, but god has been there despite my filth. and he loves me and wants better for me. let me share with you how i know this..." this is how we connect with one another and build one another up. this is how we offer each other space to find what we believe and live out those beliefs without forcing our beliefs down each others' throats. no one likes to be talked down to, especially when one's faith is not mature enough to grasp what the other person is saying. growing in faith is a process, in which one needs space, time, and encouragement (and only when needed rebuke and correction).

i confess that too many times i have just shared my thoughts on what i think christianity should be and not what led me to these convictions. i think that this, more often than not, provokes feelings of despair rather than hope. it simply does not help just to point out where we have fallen short if we can't provide evidence that god meets us where we are. may we be more like paul, who stated, "i thank him who has given me strength for this, christ jesus our lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service, though i formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but i received mercy because i had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in christ jesus. the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that christ jesus came into the world to save sinners. and i am the foremost of sinners; but i received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, jesus christ might display his perfect patience for an example of those who were to believe in him for eternal life."

i like one of robbie seay's new songs, "shine your light on us" because it is a story of brokenness and redemption. he sings, "i've been holding on. i've been holding on. all that is inside me screams to come back home. and if you feel lost, if you feel lost, sing along. and if you feel tired, if you feel tired, sing along. if you feel lost and tired this is your song. and i've broken down. and i've been broken down. but i ain't giving up. love will come back around."

so may we provide hope in our stories of pain and redemption.

cheers,
jw