Tell Me A Story
Tell Me a
Story
I like a good story – true or
make believe. One with a satisfying ending, preferably where the bad guys get what’s
coming to them. Truth winning over lies – Good winning over evil – the hero running
in to rescue in the nick of time – these are stories we all enjoy.
Here’s some opening lines from
some of my favorite and yet to be favorite stories:
Somewhere in la Mancha, in a
place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one
of those who has a lance and ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag
and a greyhound for racing. ~ Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605
This was a long, weird read, but Don
Quixote was a hero of sorts – he had faith in his ideas and suffered for them.
He didn’t let popular culture or opinion sway his determination.
Here’s a classic:
It was the best of times, it was
the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it
was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of
Life, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the
winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in
short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest
authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the
superlative degree of comparison only. ~ Charles Dickens, A Tale of
Two Cities, 1859
Tragedy and triumph in one
remarkable read – set during the French Revolution – which contrary to popular
belief has no similarities to the American one – even though that opening line could
be versatile in its application to time periods!
This one I haven’t read yet, but
this sentence intrigues me:
The human race, to which so many
of my readers belong, has been playing children’s games from the beginning and
will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who
grow up. ~ GK Chesterton, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, 1904
If that statement doesn’t cover
the reality of the last few years, I don’t know what does!
Last but not least, from a perennial
favorite:
There was a boy called Eustace
Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. ~ CS Lewis, The Voyage
of the Dawn Treader, 1952
But Eustace was redeemed – and it
made for a darn good story.
In the Bible is the best story –
a true one – where the hero saves His people – darkness indeed reigns for a season
– but light dawns and the Good Guy wins – and the bad guys get what they
deserve.
Focusing in on Psalm 11, we find
someone hanging in there while those around him are freaking out. Let’s look at
it:
In the
Lord I take refuge;
How can
you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain; for, behold, the wicked
bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness
at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the
righteous do?”
The Lord
is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids
test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one
who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the
wicked He will rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the
portion of their cup.
For the
Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face.
This psalm presents a simple,
straightforward choice – trust the Lord or let fear rule your life.
The psalmist declares, The Lord
is my refuge – my safe place – my sanctuary – I trust Him!
He asks his counselors, friends,
the voices that be – How can you tell me to run, to fear, to hide? How can you
say the enemy is stronger and that there is no hope?
He reminds these panicky friends –
the Lord is sovereign – do you think He doesn’t see or know what’s going on in
the world? Do you think He can’t save? Do you think now is the time He will let
you down?
Then he tells us it’s all a test!
The Lord tests the righteous and
the wicked – He measures their response – He’s watching to see how we handle
what comes our way. Will we glorify Him or cower in fear?
He hates the wicked – a very
sobering thought. They will reap what they’ve sown. There will be payback – no one
gets away with anything. God knows – if that doesn’t check someone’s spirit,
they probably deserve what they are going to get.
But He loves the righteous – they
will see His face. What could be better?
Don’t be afraid – if you are the
Lord’s, He is your refuge. Stop hiding under the bed and stand.
Whatever happens – the Good Guy
wins!
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