Tell Me A Story

When I was a child, I took piano lessons from the age of eight until I was about twelve years old.  I was required to practice the piano about thirty minutes a day.  So after school, I would race my brother to the piano bench.  Whoever's butt hit the bench first got to go first.  I know that neither of us was overly excited about our practice time.  We were eager to check the task off our 'to-do' list', I'm sad to say.  Today I would love to have a piano.  One day I can remember racing my brother to the bench, and as we arrived at the same time, we hit the seat so hard that one of the legs broke off the bench.  That was not a very good day.  Both of us feared the words coming from our mother's lips, "wait until your father gets home." 

Well, that wasn't the story that I intended to tell, but the memory came back so vividly that I knew I needed to share it.  Here's where I was going...I remember having a little beginner piano book that was teaching me to read notes, elementary stuff, like where is the "middle C".   That seemed to be the starting point.  As I learned to read notes, and the difference between the base-clef (left hand) and treble clef (right hand), I began to gain confidence that I could actually learn to play. 

For an eight-year-old, practicing the piano was not the joy my mother had hoped it would be.  My attention would drift, just like the retelling of this story.  Funny how things never change.  I would play my beginner songs, and along with it, I would sing the words found in my book. '  Now I am not a vocalist--neither now or then, but I have such great recall of the words to many of those little songs, like 'Bill Grogan's Goat' and 'Hot Cross Buns'.  There was an old song that drifted merrily into my mind this morning, and it was 'Tell Me a Story'.  The short version is "Tell me a story.  Tell me a story. Tell me a story; then I'll go to bed.  You promised me. You said you would. Tell me a story, and I'll be good.  Tell me a story; then I'll go to bed."

The reason I share this memory today is I see the relevance of telling our children stories.  If you are like me, I am always trying to encourage our daughters to read their Bibles.  They are very avid readers.  Often they read two or three books a week, if not more.  But rarely do I see them reading their Bibles.  We own just about every translation available(not much of an exaggeration).  The lack of reading isn't comprehension, but interest.  When I ask them, 'have you read your Bible this week?' (which I often do), I will hear an affirming answer on occasion.  Rarely do I ask if they've read their Bible today. Because I'm looking for a favorable answer and odds are better if I stretch the time.  Like clockwork though, they are sure to hear me say, 'other than Sunday'?  It is about as sure as the words from my mother's lips, 'wait 'til your father gets home'. How often would you hear your own children saying that they've cracked open the cover of their Bible more than once this week? 

So here is what I would love to encourage you to do.  With your daily Bible study (I am assuming you've developed a pattern), be a story reteller.  Tell your kids the story you've just read in your daily devotion.  Tell them what you have observed in the story.  Try to give them an application.  For example, in reading the story about Adam and Eve, we notice that they have sinned.  God is looking for them in the garden and wants to talk to them.  They are hiding from God because they feel ashamed. I know that it is easy to hide from the truth when we feel ashamed about something.  Application:  God wants us to talk to Him and not hide.   The application may come as a "remember when" story.  Think about a relatable incident where what you have just shared applies.  Ask them a few questions to see if they will try to think of their own application.  (On a side note, if your children squirm a bit in their seats -- remind them of your purpose for telling them the story.  Reassure them that you are not trying to make them feel guilty about something you have discovered that they are hiding from you.)   

I find that mealtime is a great time to share a Bible story with my family.  We are sitting eyeball to eyeball, and I have their full attention, especially if technology is banned from the table.   On the other hand, bedtime is not good for me as I am often too tired for the task.  I find that retelling Bible stories to my children (and husband too) that I can teach them that the Bible is fascinating and it has practical application for our lives. 

So, who doesn't want to hear a story?