STORIES TO TELL

The older I grow, the more I listen, and I mean really listen, the more I come to understand that we all have stories to tell: stories that tell who we are, how we came to the place we are right now; stories that tell of our past, our present, and give some hint of the future; stories of our joys and our sorrows, of our celebrations and our pain; stories one and all.

 If you are like me, and I suspect you are, some of the stories we hear are more dramatic than other stories. Some hold us on the edge of our seat; and some want to make us get out of our seat and go give the story-teller a hug to say that it is okay, that all will be well again; and some want to make us jump out of our seat in joy that all turned out well.

It is wonderful to hear those stories, even those stories filled with grief and pain and suffering. It is wonderful to hear those particular stories because it is a reminder to us that we are not alone, a reminder that we are all wounded; a reminder that no one gets through this life free from pain and suffering.

It is wonderful to hear those stories, especially those stories filled with joy and happiness, stories of resurrection following a painful death, whatever shape that death took, for death comes in many shapes and sizes and each death brings with it some form of resurrection and new life. We all have those stories, too.

We all need to be reminded of those stories in our lives and to hear the stories that others tell about their lives. Those stories help us get through the down times and make the up times even more joyful.

If there is a sadness, it is that some of us are reluctant to tell our stories, sad or joyful, because they are either too painful or because we are private people. But I have learned over the years that healing does not take place until and unless we share our stories, share our stories with those who listen knowingly and with great understanding because they have been there too and may be there now.

If a church community is nothing else, if it does nothing else, it must be a place where we can gather to tell our stories. Because it is in the telling of the story that personal healing takes place. It is in the telling of the story that enables us to move from a place of pain and suffering to a place of joy and resurrection. It is in the telling of our personal stories, one to the other, to others, that we become a family.

Life is really one story after another, one story intertwined with another, one story setting the stage for the next. All stories are important and no one’s story is more or less important than another because no one of us is more or less important than another.

The more time we make and take to tell our stories and to listen to those of others, the better we will be. We must always be open to listen to and to tell those stories.