I have one little granddaughter who loves stories as much as I do, and whenever we are together ,we spend a good deal of our time telling stories. In fact, all of the stories in my two children’s books www.frontier2000.net were born in my imagination specifically to entertain her.
By the time that she was four or five years old, Fascia loved to participate in the telling of the stories, and she would often interject her ideas as the story unfolded. For instance, when I would tell her the story of Red Riding Hood, she always described a cake that Red and her mother made to take to Grandma. The cake was “purple with purple frosting and white star sprinkles. It tasted just like cherries, but it didn’t have any cherries in it.” The stories were always an interactive experience that were a source of endless entertainment for both of us.
I am probably responsible for Fascia’s becoming so involved in the story telling because, when she was barely old enough to want to hear a story, I told her that all great stories begin the same way: “Once upon a time.” After that whenever she asked for a story I would tell her that she had to start it for me with the words that begin all great stories.
When Fascia was seven years old, she began memorizing scripture as part of her homeschool curriculum. Apparently, on this particular occasion she had been memorizing verses from the first chapter of the Gospel of John because when I said, “How do all great stories begin?”
She responded, “In the beginning.”
Immediately, Fascia realized her “mistake” and looked embarrassed. She started to correct herself, but I stopped her. “No, you’re right,” I said. “The only great stories start with, ‘In the beginning.’”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1,14)
These few lines contain the entire Gospel message, and they are at the heart of every Bible story and every Bible prophecy. If we were given only five minutes to witness to someone who had never heard the name of Jesus, I believe that using only these two verses we could present the Gospel message in such a way that he could receive salvation.
If we understand that Jesus was always with God and always was God, we understand that He was present at creation and that it was His power that spoke the world into being. We understand that Jesus is God both of the Old and New Testaments.
If we understand that He became flesh and dwelt among us, we know that He was willing to step down from His rightful place in Heaven, to humble himself, and to come to earth as a baby.
If we understand that we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, we know that He revealed himself as God’s only begotten Son who takes away the sins of the world.
If we understand that He is full of grace, we know that it is His grace alone that washes away our sins and allows us to come into fellowship with the Father.
If we understand that He is full of truth, we know that He is who He claimed to be—The Truth. He is not a truth; He is The Truth. Any “truth” that contradicts Jesus is not truth at all.
I am glad that I have a little granddaughter who is being taught the scriptures and whose heart is already set on Jesus. Sometimes old grandma’s like me become confused and begin to believe that the world’s greatest stories begin with a worldly idea—Once upon a time. It is a good thing to have someone who knows better, who can provide gentle correction and remind us that all great stories begin the same way—In the beginning.
For great stories written by Joyce, visit her website at http://www.frontier2000.net/ or like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/frontier2000mediagroup
No comments:
Post a Comment