WHY STORIES?

“Because when you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does and I’ve—I’ve gotten carried away…”

~ Kathleen Kelly (played by Meg Ryan) in the Warner Brother’s film “You’ve Got Mail”

Stories have power. I know that.  Most of who I am or what I believe can be traced back to a story I loved as a kid or teenager. From warrior courage in “Pilgrim’s Progress” to heroic chivalry in “Bambi”, selfless kindness in “Heidi” to dogmatic perseverance in “Homeward Bound”, honorable sacrifice in “The Chronicles of Narnia” to supernatural power in “This Present Darkness”, my life can almost be described as the sum total of the stories I have consumed. And then there was the story that literally changed my life as a six-year-old girl, the one I found out was true: of a young man who walked this planet claiming to be the Son of God then died on a Roman cross for the sin of the entire world and, three days later, rose from the dead to ascend to His rightful place as King of the Universe and grant His never-ending life to every human being who gave Him theirs.

Stories have power.

Real or fictional, they help define what we will become—especially the ones we take in as children. They inspire. They instruct. They entertain (or, at least, should). And the really good ones become a part of us, part of the fabric that makes up who we are and who we will be.

Yet each story also offers something. A choice. A worldview. A way of life. A definition of what it looks like to win or lose, succeed or fail, what it means to be a good person or a bad person. What is right and what is wrong.

Stories have power because they teach us what to believe.

This is why I write.

In his Original 1828 Dictionary, Noah Webster defined the word “Epic” as a “Narrative…the end [of which] is to improve the morals, and inspire a love of virtue, bravery and illustrious actions.” That is my dream. It is my goal and the ultimate purpose behind every book, every short story, every word I ever type or put a pen to: to inspire the next generation to a standard, a banner of nobility, of honor, and of truth that is all but lost in the mediocre sludge of our day—all while taking them on a grand adventure and, hopefully, giving them a great time doing it.

I believe in the power of stories and it is a power I choose to wield because I have been called to wield it. It is what I am meant to do. What I love to do. And because I believe it is high time for the storytellers to rise from the ashes and lead the charge to a better way of thinking, of acting—of be-ing. As Walt Disney (portrayed by the actor Tom Hanks) states so beautifully in the movie “Saving Mr. Banks”:

“Because that’s what we story-tellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope—again and again and again.”

And that is the power of a good story!

Choose HEROIC,

CHRISTIS JOY