The power of a story

A good story is powerful. It connects us to one another, drawing us in as we imagine ourselves or those we know in the story. It holds attention, intrigues us, crosses barriers of age and culture and is remembered long after it is told.

As Easter fast approaches we are reminded that we know the greatest story ever told, but how do we tell our children how that story transformed our life?

Ideas this month

Recently, I came across the story of an old tradition where homeowners would keep a fire ablaze in their home. When a child left home to get married, the father would place part of the fire in a steel bucket and take it to his child’s new home – as a house-warming gift. The child had a choice – to own the fire and keep it burning or to let it fizzle out. The parents had provided the foundational gift!

This got me thinking about how powerful stories are, and to look at the foundations I'm laying in my children's lives - what stories am I telling them? 

Stories are everywhere. They're told at bedtime, in the classroom, around camp fires, in social media. Our children are bombarded with stories!

But I want my children to hear the greatest story of all, the story of Jesus' love, hope and forgiveness. I want to tell them not only the story of how I came to know Jesus, but how he's with me in the ups and downs of everyday life; when I'm celebrating success at work, or struggling to understand the illness of a dear friend. 

I want my daughters to be intrigued by my story with Jesus and for that to help them see how they can have their own story with Jesus.

My prayer is that these are the stories they'll remember in months and years to come – as they fall out with their friends, find maths tricky or achieve an award at their dance class.

We might tell our children our stories, but ultimately we want them to develop their own story and find a real and living faith in Jesus that is theirs!

Blessings

Claire and the Kitchen Table Project team

Please send us your stories of inspiring faith at home – good and bad – we know it’s a rollercoaster! We’d love to include them in our emails and on the blog.