What's Yours?

I must admit I am not one to always know how to start the conversation. But one thing I am learning is that every one has a story. A personal story. When I was in kindergarten I loved picture books (and still do). I think its because the images tell a story that words can not always best capture.

Sometimes we try to read people by the way they come across. Sometimes by their facial expressions...or what they say. Sometimes by their job or the way they dress, what they have or do not have (in America anyway). But those are all superficial ways of reading a person's life and not in any way defines a person's true identity, worth, or character.

I once heard a picture is worth a thousand words. It can say a lot about someone. But underneath, behind the photo, behind the song they sing or write or don't write or share, behind what is said or unsaid...there is definitely a story. This story is worth finding out. Its worth exploring and its worth hearing because its a unique story to that person. I love how there are some similarities in people's stories. But each person's story is still different in other ways too.

I know for me I am an extremely audio-visual learner. That is my special need as a life-long learner. I am someone who has to see many times or at least picture or hear in order to best understand what is being communicated. So even story books that are written this way have a way of teaching me things.

This is why I love the Parables in the Bible because they speak to me in ways that I can picture and understand meaning behind the story, even better than when I read other parts of the Bible sometimes. I also love the way the Psalms are like songs. They are stories of deep passion and deep emotion. Imagine films made about each one. How incredible that would be. Or a series of paintings or a series of orchestral scores of music. The Book of Proverbs are like stories too used metaphorically that leave me hanging on every word.

All of this keeps reminding me that every one has a story that can teach us something worth being heard and shared, something unique about that person's life, something funny that is worth sharing, something sad such as the pains of another's world, something exciting awaiting or...whatever it is. It makes me ask are we being wise stewards of our stories? And if so, then what's yours?