The Value of Storytelling

What is an echo? The dictionary uses words like ricochet, reverberation, and repeated sounds to try to define it. It is simplest to think of it as repeated sound which keeps coming back to you but fades as it does so. I cannot say that definition is entirely accurate, though, because the echoes in my head do not seem to be fading as time goes by. They are as loud as ever and sometimes even seem louder than when I first heard them! So, to what echoes I am referring?

These echoes are wise words spoken to me, sometimes on purpose and sometimes in an offhand sort of way. Some of these words, the loudest ones, are things my dad said to me. They were short words of wisdom presented in story form or stories from his life as he was growing up. I still remember the vivid story he told us boys of when he got saved. Some stories came from Sunday school teachers’ telling Bible stories or preachers’ using illustrations in their sermons. But whatever the source, they were words which formed thoughts which are constantly bouncing back and forth in my head, so I have no excuse for not heeding the advice they gave.

I remember well the illustration my pastor used when preaching a message on “Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). I am sure the message had a three-point outline, and maybe even each point started with the same letter. As I look back on it, my pastor did a good job of study, preaching, and application every week. However, I cannot remember any of that message except for the echo of his illustrating the main point of the message, to let the Lord carry your heavy burdens. He gave the illustration of an old-time farmer carrying a full bushel of wheat on his shoulder so he could get it ground into flour at the mill. Space does not allow me to repeat the whole story here, but I assure you I can relate that story word for word and have benefited from it in my life many times as I faced major burdens. The point is, your children will remember the stories you tell them much better than your lectures and speeches.

Consider the following:

• Communicating truth to your children in story form is following God’s example. Seventy-five percent of the Bible is written in narrative or story form, and a major portion of Jesus’ teaching was done in the form of parables.
• The Bible commands fathers to teach their children (Ephesians 6:4) and to teach them in story form every chance they get (Psalm 78:1–8 and Deuteronomy 6:1–25).
• Your children will long remember your Bible stories, family history stories, personal stories, or character-building stories.

Remember this truth: my children and grandchildren will never know what I went through growing up and what it was that made me who I am today unless I tell them my stories of God’s grace working in my heart. As the apostle Paul wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10a). Wise fathers will utilize this form of communication to reach the hearts of the next generation.

What Could Be Some Subjects of Your Stories?

Here are several common subjects to craft into stories:

1. God and your belief in Him: answers to prayer and God’s leading, protection, and care for you and your family.
2. Character-building stories: work ethic, the importance of responsibility in relation to promotion and being trusted.
3. Deliverance stories: the struggles you had and how God helped you deal with the temptations of life.
4. Biographical stories: people in God’s service, missionaries, and Christian leaders of the past or present, stories showing the power of God and the sacrifice of others for the cause of Christ in their time.
5. Bible stories retold with modern-day applications and situations.
6. Testimonies: your own story and your family’s stories. Make a list of interesting events you can share in story form.
7. Funny stories showing you are just a human being like they are.

Creative Ideas to Consider

Telling stories calls for creativity. Here are a few storytelling tips to consider:

1. Fit the stories to the age, maturity, and interest of the audience.
2. Stories usually have some tension or challenge to overcome.
3. Do not memorize the story for the telling of it; know your opening and closing sentences along with the purpose.
4. Discern a purpose or goal for each story. Remember each story could have several different applications.
5. Consider adding a “memory hook,” a repeated word or phrase used several times throughout the story.
6. Sometimes it helps to envision the story’s being lived out in today’s culture. What was common back then does not matter today, or vice versa: technology, temptation sources, feelings, concerns, cultural attitudes, and norms.
7. Eliminate useless details but add descriptions to the story that excite the imagination and are memorable but not distracting from the purpose.
8. Be sure to ask the Lord for wisdom and help as you work at developing this most memorable method of teaching your children.

Final Thoughts

As you seek to learn to tell stories better, remember, sometimes the best story could be the impromptu one that fits the situation. Share a short story or words of wisdom in a timely manner illustrating something you and your son observed or experienced.

Some of the loudest echoes in my head are such stories or wise words my father told us. It may take some effort to learn how to share stories well, but the reward is worth the labor.

Note: If you want to learn how to tell stories better, I suggest a book by John Walsh entitled “The Art of Storytelling” (2nd ed.; Moody Publishers, 2014).