Story Story

I have crafted a term this morning. It is called Story Story.

When you tell your story, what is the purpose? Here at Give Your Story, my purpose is to provide hope. I hope that in the stories you find at giveyourstory.com, you discover identification, validation, and connection. I hope that what you find here provides motivation to induce change for the better. That change could be something as simple as improving your character in a certain area. It could be recognizing that you have a problem with your mental health and need to address it. The list goes on.

While I would love to help you with the solution, your path needs to be custom to your needs. Sure, I have lots of solutions I could offer. I have over 43 years of experience to share with you. However, my path does not necessarily mean it is your path. My solutions may not be yours. In some cases, my solutions are not even solutions but rather just a path I took to get through a situation. Sometimes, my paths were poor choices. Those poor choice paths were often painful. Pain is a huge motivator for change. Many of us have heard a similar saying such as this: “When the pain gets great enough, you will change.” I do not recommend many of the ways that I found truth. Some of my bad choices could even be considered red flags. I tell you my story in the hope that maybe you will change so you do not have to endure the same pain I have. I have now changed my story, so to speak. I have now given you different reasons as to my purpose here at Give Your Story. I call this Story Story.

The most famous storyteller of all is Jesus. Jesus told stories. Many of us know these stories as parables. So, while the story itself had main characters and a plot, the story had deeper meaning to the person or people he was telling it to. That is where I came up with my title today. Story Story.

My wife and I have been studying and planning our Sunday School class for this Sunday, and we are in Romans 9. Romans 9, 10, and 11 are not straightforward. There are many confusing statements that Paul makes. There is reflection on the Old Testament, particularly Genesis, Exodus, and Isaiah are of focus. Therefore, this area of Romans could be considered a continuation of the story from the Old Testament. We also have to consider who is telling the story when we read the story. In the case of Genesis and Exodus, Moses is the writer, but God is the speaker. In the case of Romans, Paul is the writer, but Jesus is the speaker. There is significance to who is telling the story and who is the true author. There is history and biography to consider, there is drama and prophecy, law and wisdom. There are God’s principles embedded everywhere.

In Romans, Paul’s primary message is to proclaim the Gospel and that the Gospel is for everyone. In Romans 9, 10, and 11, there is another message that Paul is telling us. He actually says it at the end of Chapter 11 in verse 34:

“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”

What Paul is saying here is that our minds do not think like the mind of God. Or in other words, when we try to get answers to why something is the way it is, our logic does not align with God’s logic. Paul is conveying that even he does not fully understand what he is writing. These are the mysteries of God. We can logically think through and make assumptions, but there are still unanswered questions. Each of these topic areas can be expanded upon, and we can glean information and knowledge that applies to each of us in our own ways. When my wife and I study the Bible and prepare for our Sunday School lessons, there are so many directions one can go with the material. We actually love it when a class member reads the commentary from their Bible. It is often not the same direction that we are headed in our message. It helps facilitate discussion in our class.

In my 12-step group I am part of, we will often read a story. Then we all take turns sharing how we identify with the story. Usually, everyone can apply something from their story to the reading. It is not out of the ordinary to read a reading and then have 16 different perspectives on the same reading. Also, for the record, we rarely actually talk about the problem. We share our story as a path to a solution. My concept here at Give Your Story is, in part, based on what happens in a 12-step program. It works.

Last night I was reading about an old story that happened in 1972. Many of you will know the story. A plane carrying members of a rugby team and others crashed in the Andes. A movie was produced to reflect their struggle and story. The big thing that everyone remembers from the story is that the survivors had to face the freezing snow and weather, avalanches, and most of all lack of food. Cannibalism is the more impactful memory that anyone who has heard this story recalls. There is now another movie on this same story that has been released called Society of the Snow. It is the same story with a different perspective. In this movie, the focus is on the spirit of the survivors. Instead of the focus being on the plot we all know, they are diving deeper into the minds of the survivors and what they were thinking and the spirit of their survival.

The trailer ends with the words “Can you See? We have to try.”