Think about the last time someone tried to convince you of something with a list. Five reasons. Three steps. A chart full of bullet points.
You might remember a point or two. Probably not all of them.
Now think about the last time someone told you a story. Maybe a friend described the night their child was born. Maybe a grandparent talked about growing up with almost nothing. You can probably still picture it.
That is not an accident. In the West we tend to prefer facts. We want A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. Facts have their place. But God did not wire us to live on facts alone. He wired us for stories.
That is one reason so many of us freeze when it is time to talk about Jesus. We think we need the right facts lined up. We worry someone will ask a question we cannot answer. So we say nothing.
But you already have something to share. You have a story.
Scripture: Joshua 4:21 — “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?'”
Additional reading: Psalm 78:4 — “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Most of the Bible does not come to us as a list of principles. There are some, like the Proverbs and the letters of the New Testament. But most of Scripture is given to us as story. God speaks through story. In fact, He created one, and we are living in it.
When Israel crossed the Jordan River, God did not ask them to write a summary of what they had learned. He told them to stack twelve stones at Gilgal. Not a carved monument. Just an odd pile of river rocks.
Why? God knew the people who walked across on dry ground would not live forever. Their children needed to know what He had done. So He built something that would make a child stop, scratch his head and ask, “Dad, what are those rocks?”
And then a parent would get to tell the story.
Every generation needs its own experience with God. But it often begins by hearing someone else’s.
Think about the apostle Paul in the book of Acts. Near the end of the book, when he stands before rulers to explain his faith, he does not hand them an outline. He tells them his story.
Your story is a gateway to honor God when it is handled well. You do not have to be a theologian. You do not need every answer. You only need to be able to say, “Here is what my life was like. Here is what happened. And here is what God did.”
This week, start small. Think about one time God moved in your life. Remember it clearly. Then look for someone who might ask.
Reflect: What is one story from your own life that shows what God has done? Who around you might need to hear it this week?