The Power of Story
We all know the wonderful feeling of being swept into a great story. People love stories, whether in person or through the arts. Even little children understand as they beg “tell me a story.”
A truly good story makes you forget your surroundings and become entirely immersed. In fact, research has shown your body physically reacts to a great story.
- Your palms may start to sweat
- You’ll blink faster
- Your heart may beat differently
- Your facial expressions shift as you react to the words
Stories wield a particularly strong influence over our attitudes and behavior. A vivid, emotional story can give that extra push to make something feel more real or important.
Your own story is what defines you and sets you apart. This also allow you to connect with others and be known.
None of this is a surprise to our Creator. He made our brains to listen to stories. Even the Bible is a huge story, made up of many little stories all pointing to the Gospel – the greatest story ever told.
Stories are also the heart of evangelism. In a today’s world, this is even more important. People are saturated and flooded with information. Then layer a postmodern view where there are no absolute truths. Truth is seen as individualized and subjective rather than universal and objective. Those adhering to these principles will more likely say, “Don’t tell me what to believe. Tell me how what you believe changes your life.”
The reality is most people, especially young ones today, do not want argument but are ready for demonstration. They are interested if we evidence of meaningful difference in our life and can tell them about an experience that actually works.
If they hear a compelling story about what Jesus Christ has done in our lives, they not only find it hard to argue against, but are in fact positively interested. This becomes the invitation to find out more about how Jesus can work and make a difference in their lives as well.
This is not new as Jesus was a master story teller. When we combine our story with his, a collision takes place. This can trigger a life changing series of questions:
- What if my story isn’t the whole story?
- How should I respond to what I just heard?
- Would my life change if Jesus were part of my story?
Story is powerful. When we share our story, we are welcoming others into a relationship that has transformed us. We are the living proof of what we are sharing. Do not be afraid to use your story when sharing Jesus.
