The Power of the Story: Guest Post
Good morning, dear Reader! Today I am excited to share with you a new release by fellow indie author Jenny Fulton. Jenny graciously agreed to write a post today about the power of story, why stories are so important to us, and how yes, even fantasy stories can teach us something. I think you’ll enjoy it! I certainly did!
The Power of the Story
By Jenny Fulton
The class was mostly quiet as the history teacher droned out facts and wrote key notes on the board. Pencils scratched here and there as some of the students half-heartedly copied down the information.
I was one of the pencil scratchers with one key difference: I was intensely focused on reaching my goal of becoming ambidextrous. It was the perfect class in which to practice. Since I had read the assigned chapter the night before, and the teacher wasn’t presenting anything new, the notes were simply a review. In the meantime, I was definitely improving in my ability to write legibly with my left hand.
Now, the sad part is, I really enjoy learning about history – any and all history. I love the stories and people who show up throughout time. What were their lives like? What must it have been like to live through those events? I devoured biographies, autobiographies, and historical fiction novels. But I did not enjoy that history class.
On the other hand, I don’t enjoy grammar. I think it’s boring.
However, there was one class in middle school in which grammar became interesting. After teaching us about each part of speech, Mrs. Tebo divided us into groups to write and present a story that included a certain number of nouns, adjectives, etc. In short order, my least favorite subject became one of my favorite classes.
Two classes. Two subjects. One subject I loved but didn’t like the class; the other subject I didn’t like, but I loved the class.
One of the main differences: Stories. While one class presented the facts apart from the stories in which they took place, the other incorporated the information into the creation of one.
Storytelling in the Bible
Storytelling as a means of instruction has been around since the beginning of time. Before there was any form of written communication, there was verbal communication. Stories of the ancestors were passed down from one generation to the next. Before God’s Word was presented in written fashion to his people, it was given through the spoken word by means of stories that told of his wondrous deeds that displayed his character and love.
Jesus frequently used storytelling to teach important lessons about God and his kingdom, to show his followers what it looks like to follow him, to illustrate what it means to serve and love God and each other. He often began with a setting and characters his listeners were familiar with. A sower planting seeds. A landowner and his workers. A woman who lost a coin. Fishermen catching and sorting their fish. Jesus used that which was familiar to explain something that wasn’t. He connected with his audience in arenas of comfortable understanding and then took them to mental and spiritual places that challenged and encouraged them to reach deeper, to go farther. The familiar became a means by which to enter the unfamiliar and in doing so, to experience greater fullness and understanding of God’s character and love.
The Power of Storytelling
Aside from being a great way to grab our attention and allow us to become immersed in another world, stories have the following effects.
Stories give us a way to understand our world. Even fantasy stories, which on the surface have nothing to do with reality, present applicable truths. Through the lives of fictional characters, we find explanations for situations and circumstances in our real world.
Christian stories often provide us with another lens by which to see and understand God. They follow Aslan’s words to Lucy and Edmond in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: “This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” Many Christian stories magnify different elements of God’s character and present them in a fictional setting so that we may better understand and connect to him in our lives.
Stories offer us courage to face our reality. Most fictional characters, like real people, have flaws and weaknesses. Their lives aren’t perfect. They face some form of conflict, obstacles that must be overcome. As we journey with these characters, we join them in their struggles and rejoice when they rise triumphant. Surely, if these characters found the strength and courage to overcome their trials, we can do likewise.
Stories enable us to remember facts and truths. Stories connect the emotional with the logical, creating an intermeshed arena of the heart and mind. This utilization of multiple areas of the brain strengthens the ability to recall the facts and spiritual truths embedded within a story.
Stories calm and focus our minds. They lower our defenses. In this open state, our mind is relaxed and more receptive to new information. We are better able to think, analyze, evaluate, and process the scenarios.
Stories strengthen our compassion. Whereas most of the time, we go through our day stuck in our minds, stories allow us to enter into someone else’s. We see their thoughts and motivations, are privy to their background so that we may understand the forces that drive their behavior. There is often far more to a character that we realize; our compassion grows with our understanding. Our sympathy and compassion for these fictional people carries over into reality for, like the characters, there is far more to people than we realize.
Whether we realize it or not, we are daily impacted by stories – the ones we read, the ones we watch, the ones we hear. Every story teaches and communicates something about life.
What stories have you encountered lately?
What have you learned from them?
Have you ever used stories to communicate an idea or truth? What was the impact of that?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
A Story About Death and Heaven
If you have a chance, check out my newly released children’s picture book, Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye. In this story, Lillian’s parents utilize elements of her pretend princess world to help her understand that Grandpa is getting ready to die and go to Heaven.
Book Blurb:
Can two worlds exist at the same time?
Little Princess Lillian learns the spiritual world can interact with the physical. Imaginary is used to explain a reality, how heaven reaches down to earth as a young girl observes her grandpa awaiting his entrance into his eternal home.
How do you explain death and heaven to a child?
Led through a long hall in a hospital, Princess Lillian holds her mom's hand as an angel whispers comforting words.
Incorporating bits of Native American and Christian tradition, an intimate celebration of a loved one's passing occurs as a family says good-bye to a man eager to meet his best friend, the King Above All Nations.
Purchase the Book
Author Bio
Jenny Fulton is a wife, mother, children's book author, YA fantasy author, blogger, and freelance writer with a B.S. in Bible, a B.S. in elementary education, and an endorsement in K-12 ESL. After graduating from Grace University in 2007, Jenny worked as a teacher in a variety of cultural and educational settings, both abroad and in the United States. She is a storyteller, a follower of Christ, and a seeker of truth.
An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Jenny grew up hearing stories from her dad about the supernatural workings on the Navajo Reservation. Her days are now mostly spent raising her three young daughters (homeschooling two of them) and writing as much as time and opportunity allows.
Jenny is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Faithwriters.com, and is an author with Capture Books.
Connect with Jenny:
Website: https://heart-soul-mind.org/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JennyFultonWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennyannfulton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorFulton