Judy Lentz  

I Love to Tell the Story

Psalm 66:16 “Come and listen, all who honor God, and I will tell you what he has done for me”

Our 10 year old granddaughter came to spend a week with us to enjoy Camp Oma and Pop as she does each summer. Although Madison loves to do things and go places, she hates long car rides. When it was time to drive her across state to meet her uncle, I did my best to divert her thinking about how long the drive would be. I spent the time telling her stories about her Dad when he was a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, and an elementary school student just as she is now.

The stories lasted most of the ride – her Dad created plenty of stories to tell!!!! She loved hearing about the funny things he did, the trouble he got into, the punishments he received, the stories of his school friends and school teachers, the things he disliked in those years, etc. Stories that revealed the love expressed for him and by him as he was growing up. Just as adults appreciate hearing stories, so do our children.

I remember singing the song “I love to Tell the Story” when I was growing up. The tune was composed by W.G.Fischer and the lyrics written by Dr. Doane with the refrain that goes like this: “I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love”.

God wants us to tell stories of all kinds – about Jesus, about people in the Bible, about ourselves and about our friends and loved ones. We learn from these stories about the Bible and how God wants us to love (just think of how many times stories are read to the children during Children’s Time). Stories help us pass along traditions, offer guidance in problem solving, rekindle the memories of those who have gone before as well as the friends who are special to us now. But best of all, stories tell us about ‘love’ and how we show love just as God wants us to do. Stories enrich our lives in so many ways. Are you a story teller?

Prayer: Dear God – we love to tell the stories of Jesus and His love. We love to tell the stories about those we love. Help us to tell the stories that lead others to you so they can feel your love just as we do. Amen