The Power of Story

Have you ever found yourself caught up in a story? Is there a book or movie or television show that just immediately reeled you in? From early childhood, I have found myself relating the the characters in books, movies, and television. Once I take the bait, I'm desperate to see it through to the end.

I hate to see a good story end. Whenever one of my favorite t.v. shows ended, I always felt a sense of grief. The characters grew on me until they felt real. Book are the same way. It's one of the reasons I prefer to read books in a series.

One of my favorite movies from childhood was The Neverending Story. It was about a boy who found himself drawn into story, becoming a part of it as he read. There were a lot of reasons I loved the movie, but I think one of the foremost reasons was that I had often imagined the same thing happening to me.

Once in a great while, I wonder if I am just a character in a story someone is writing. In a very real sense I am a character in someone else's story. God is the author of life, and in that sense we are all part of a larger story.

One of the reasons story is such a powerful medium is because a good storyteller knows how to blur the lines between reality and the reality he is creating. The reader or viewer steps out of their reality into a fictional world. They bond to characters as they watch them endure conflict and struggle to live.

Stories are able to shape and mold they way people think in a way that subverts the normal rebellious tendencies of humanity. Telling a child a fable, parable, or fairy tale often helps them to understand the logic behind a command. The story about the boy who cried wolf is a good example. Children have a natural tendency to stretch the truth, and telling them not to lie isn't always effective. However, when they hear the story about the boy who cried wolf, they begin to understand that lying has serious consequences.

The power of stories rest in their ability to communicate from the heart to the mind. Most storytelling moves from the heart to the mind. Storytellers attempt to connect to our affections before they address our intellects. Sometimes, they bypass the intellect altogether.

The stories help to orient us to the way other people think. They teach us how to view the world through the eyes of another, how to see it the way they do. They open up new worlds to us in a way that challenges us to give our world a more careful viewing.

A good story is a powerful thing. It makes you think. It might cause you to look at the world a little differently. It help you see things from another's perspective. But don't get so caught up that you lose touch with reality.