Sharing Stories

When I was in late elementary school, about the age that Ella is now, my family and I were sitting down for dinner one evening. My sister and I were probably arguing about something, and my dad told us to stop. My mom replied, “They are just being kids. You didn’t do that when you were a kid?” My dad said, “Nope! I was a perfect child.” 

In stunned disbelief, I reached up to grab the phone that was hanging on the wall behind my dad’s head. I dialed my grandfather’s number and asked him, “Was my dad a perfect child?” My mouth dropped to the floor as my grandfather replied, “Yes! Your dad was a perfect child!” I couldn’t believe it was true! My dad still laughs so hard at the way my eyes got so big in sheer astonishment whenever he retells this story. It’s become a family favorite, remembered for my dad’s silliness, try grandfather’s quick wit, and the love woven through that playful exchange. I even had the chance to play this “joke” on Ella not too long ago.  She wasn’t as gullible as I was at 8, and didn’t believe my dad for one second when he confidently replied, “Yes! Your mom was a perfect child!”

Do you have a story your family always tells? Maybe it is a story like mine, or perhaps it’s a memory of a loved one, an embarrassing moment, or a hardship a grandparent endured. Stories have immense power to shape us. They are passed down through our parents, teachers, and religious leaders, and shared in movies, books, and TV shows. They inspire us to act, awaken empathy for those who are different, and stir compassion for people groups we once didn’t understand.  We make sense of the world through the stories that we hear and that we tell. Stories draw us onto common ground and help heal divisions. It’s much harder to discount someone when you know their story. 

Stories also have the power to heal. They help us cope with our emotions, reminds us we aren’t alone, and can connect us to the divine.  When we share the parts of ourselves we might otherwise keep hidden, storytelling becomes a bridge- between one another, and between us and God. Listening to someone’s story confronts us with their humanity and calls us to respond. It is in those moments of openness and vulnerability that we are being pulled into the orbit of another human.  Their story grips us, awakens our responsibility to care, and makes indifference almost impossible. It takes effort to ignore another when you know their story! 

When was the last time you connected to someone over a story? When did you last think about the stories that have shaped you? What story do you tell about yourself when you meet a new person? I encourage you to dig deeper into the stories that have shaped you and consider sharing them with someone soon.