What’s Your Story? — It’s time to breathe life back into the fading art of storytelling.

By the Rev. Ted Schroeder

"Grammy, tell me a story,” Justin said, bumping up against his grandmother’s knee as she sat in her favorite rocker.

“Story? I just told you a story,” she said. “Remember, the one about the ducks and chickens?”

“Tell me another,” Justin persisted.

“Let’s see,” Grandma said, tapping her fingers. “Once, when I was a little girl, our barn burned. It happened all of a sudden, and it was very scary. It happened on a hot day when the sun seemed very close. My daddy—your great grandpa—was worried. They’d put some new hay in the barn, and he was afraid it was too green and that it would get hot. He worked a long time moving the hay to try to cool it, but it was no use. It started to smoke and then burst into flames. Mama phoned into town for the fire department, and all the neighbors on the line heard and came running. The barn flamed and the wind made the fire roar. It seemed like only minutes and it was all gone. We’d gotten the animals out and some of the tools, but everything else, even our old car, was lost. Fire can be a terrible thing, Justin. We scraped our savings together to build a new barn the next year, right there where it stands now. But it was a hard year, and Daddy was very sad.”

“I don’t like that story,” Justin said. “I like happy stories, like the one about the chicken and the ducks.”

“I don’t like sad stories either,” Grandma said quietly. “But while the happy stories make us feel closer as we laugh together, the sad stories help us know who we are as a family.” Those of us with a few years on us are keepers of the stories. Even more, we are the tellers of the stories.

So many young people move from adolescence into adulthood adrift. They don’t know who they are, where they are going, what is important or what it all means. They have not heard the stories that can make them laugh, that can make them feel that they belong, that can make them know they are a part of a family.

If there is a loss in our world, it is that our life-stories are now flickering on screens, delivered by entertainers. What kind of self-understanding can young people obtain if the only stories they know are delivered by the faces of total strangers?

We are keepers and tellers of the stories, you and I. Not only of the family stories, but also of the story: God’s story of love and salvation in Jesus Christ.

For a number of years, I have had the privilege of being a storyteller on the back page of this magazine. It has been a joy for me to share those stories, and the story, with you.

This is my last column, and with it I issue a last word—a challenge—for you. Don’t wait for others to tell the stories. Look for them in your heart. Cherish the stories of your family, your loved ones, your faith community and your personal faith. And share them. Honor them by passing them along.

Perhaps your stories won’t end up on the back page of a magazine, but they just might end up in an even more important place: the heart of a child. Then Justin and all the rest of the wide-eyed little ones who carry our hopes into the future will know they are part of our family of faith.

Happy storytelling.

Our Thanks to Rev. Ted
Thrivent magazine thanks the Rev. Ted Schroeder for his seven years of inspiring and uplifting contributions to our publication. For another dose of “Daily Bread,” visit www.thrivent.com/magazine/archive. Be on the watch for the Winter issue, which will bring you compelling new voices with new stories to share on this page.