Glory 21 - Story People
Yesterday's devotion was about people sharing and living their stories. Curtice shared about a group of dear friends that had deeply invested in one another's lives and the impact that it made on everyone. She entitled the section, "Story People" because that's who we are as human beings. We are people of stories. We have always been that way and always will be. While we love movies with great special effects, etc, we ultimately long for those that have a good story that underlies it. The Bible isn't a scientific textbook or a history book first and foremost, but instead it is a collection of the stories of people trying to hear, understand, and follow God. It is story passed down from one generation to the next. There's a great line in The Lord of the Rings where Samwise is trying to convince Frodo to not give up. He says,
It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
The great stories. The ones that really mattered. Those are the stories that we hold onto and for which I am grateful. I am grateful for the stories of faith that Scripture tells us time and again. Of Sarah and Abraham. Of Jacob wrestling. Of Rahab and the spies. Of Moses and the people in the wilderness. Of judges and kings. Of beauty and tragedy. Of prophets and those who listen to the prophets. Of Mary. Of Joseph. Of disciples finding their way. Of a church just beginning. Of Jesus. Of us.
The picture is of a gift I received from my wife. It is from a series called "Story People" and I love the sentiment of this that ultimately all that will be remembered in the end is the "good and true things."
Those are good stories.