The Power of Telling Stories

If you’ve known me for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me tell “The Bear Story.”  It’s about an encounter a friend and I had with a bear in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area back when we were in college. 

My kids roll their eyes whenever I tell this story, but it’s gotten a lot of traction over the years, because I really get into telling it.  There’s also the “Lost Phone Story” (see my earlier blog), and the “How I Met Your Mother” story, and a few others that Judy would rather I didn’t share. 

As an introverted Minnesotan of Scandinavian descent, it takes some intentionality for me to share stories—mostly because my life has been somewhat uneventful.  And even if I did have a story to tell, I tend to think people probably wouldn’t want to hear it.

Yet brain researchers are finding that telling stories brings people together, resolves conflicts, strengthens the brain, and demonstrates healthy ways of responding to difficult situations or upsets.  Sometimes called “whole brain stories,” these short two-to-five minute stories take some practice to craft and share well.  They tap into words from the left side of our brain—along with the emotions and body sensations we’ve stored in the right side of our brain.

These “whole brain stories” are a powerful way to build joy in your family or with relatives, strangers or friends.  Stories of how we’ve recovered from distressing emotions or how God has helped us through difficult situations are particularly helpful to others.  These stories strengthen our memory and teach “this is how we do things” to our friends or families, or those in our church or workplace.   Stories hold relationships together, and create a legacy for younger generations. 

The Bible contains a treasure-trove of timeless stories that remind us how God’s people act—or how not to act—including stories Jesus told, who often forced people to come up with their own insights for how to live best and thrive in our world.   

To learn more about telling these kinds of stories, see Chris Coursey’s book Transforming Fellowship, chapter 9.  In the meantime, think about how you can tell a short story that will honor God and encourage and build up people.  It’s one of the best gifts you could give others this holiday season!