The Greatest Story Ever Told
“I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?” This is a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic story, The Lord of the Rings. If you have read Tolkien’s writings (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are the most popular), you will agree that he was a fantastic storyteller. The two primary characters in The Lord of the Rings are Sam and Frodo. Sam is the one asking what sort of tale they have fallen into. Sam could not have asked a better question. He assumes life is a story. He supposes that when we stop and consider life, there is something larger going on. "What sort of tale have I fallen into?” is a question that would help us all a great deal if we pondered it for ourselves. It just might be the most important question that we ever ask.
I contend that life is a story. Life doesn’t come to us like a math problem. It comes to us the way a story does. Scene by scene. Situation by situation. We are nearly always left wondering what will happen next. We often wish that life could be figured out like a math problem. We would be more comfortable with working through the process and finding predictable answers. With life, however, we do not know all the variables. There are unknowns and paradoxes. Life demands that we take the next step and enter in. We are called to take the journey as it comes. Life has many unknowns. One day might be sunny and pleasant, and another day might bring tornados.
Life unfolds like a drama. Each day has a beginning and an end, much like chapters in a story. There are all sorts of characters and all kinds of settings. Sometimes life seems like a tragedy. Sometimes life seems like a comedy. To be honest, most of it resembles a soap opera with dramatic and irrational people. Whatever happens, it is a story through and through. For example, you come home one night to find that your car has been totaled. All you know is that you loaned your car to a friend or your teenager, and now it is smashed up. I’m certain that the first words out of your mouth would be, “What happened?” In other words, “Tell me the story.” Someone has some explaining to do, and that can only be accomplished when we hear the tale they have to tell. As we hear their story, we are relieved to hear that they are safe. We are glad to know that they were not speeding or being reckless. We are comforted to know that no one else was hurt in the accident. We find peace when we get more details about the story.
Truth be told, you need to know the rest of the story if you want to understand just about anything in life. Jokes are like that. There is nothing to a joke until you hear the punchline. After the punchline, we see the humor of the joke. Bring two people together and they will soon be telling stories: A child on his or her grandmother’s lap, two men in a fishing boat, even strangers stuck for another hour in an airport. All of these situations will quickly and appropriately fall into storytelling mode.
Consider our fixation with the news. Every morning and every evening, around the world, people read the news or tune into the news. Why? Because we humans have this craving for meaning, for the rest of the story. We need to know what’s going on. Story is the language of the heart; it is a way that we find connection. While many stories are an attempt at entertainment, they often go far deeper than that. Stories can nourish the mind and soul. They provide a kind of food that the heart craves. Stories help to shine light on our lives.
The greatest stories tell us who we are, why we are here, and what we are to do. They give us the best answers to the confusion and uncertainty of life. We share many lingering questions as we navigate life. This is why we have God’s Word. The Bible is God’s love letter to mankind. It is also God’s instruction book. In Scripture, we are given the greatest story ever. We are told who we are, why we were created, and why there is evil and uncertainty in this difficult world. God explains that we are cherished and that He has a plan for us. Over the next few weeks, we are going to examine this great epic tale and find out what we have fallen into. Keep looking up!