Column: The Emily Angle – Believers are a part of the greatest story ever told

We all long to be part of a great story. A powerful story has the potential to captivate an audience, communicate truth, shape views, influence opinions and inspire the depressed.

We love rooting for the underdog and seeing good defeat evil. This is intrinsic to human nature and transcends gender, age and class.  

Some of my earliest memories revolve around the stories my parents and grandparents told me. I asked to hear some stories over and over again, and I memorized my favorite ones. I am still drawn to a good story.

In my favorite book as a kid, “Samantha Saves the Day,” young Samantha Parkington saved the lives of her two friends when they attempted to go on a daring adventure across the lake during a storm. I fell in love with this story because the rise and fall of the narrative drew me in and led to the hero saving the day. A good story has the power to captivate, and by nature, we are attracted to this. 

For thousands of years, humans communicated and connected with one another through the retelling of narratives. Long ago, people transferred stories onto cave walls to preserve and pass these treasures down. Oral tradition or hand-written parchments carried stories from generation to generation until the Gutenberg printing press entered the scene in the 15th century.

Dallas Morning News columnist Dave Lieber said we are drawn to sports because of the element of story in them. In sports, there is a definite winner and loser, a hero and villain, and our hearts are naturally pulled into this because we seek to be a part it.

Many people spend hours each day seeking entertainment through following the fictional stories on a screen to find solace or escape reality. 

Reality does not always measure up to the fantastical stories we dreamed of and were told of as children. Missed opportunities, unmet expectations and distant dreams often lead to disillusionment. 

Children dream of what will be. Adults dream of what could have been. Because life is sometimes a dim reality of childhood dreams, many vicariously live through the lives of others, neglecting the potential of a great story in their own lives. 

We all long to be a part of a grand narrative. We long for romance, adventure, excitement and the thrill of being the rescuer or the rescued.  

Our own stories gain meaning when we begin see the rise and fall of our own lives becoming a part of something much greater. When we view the trajectory of our lives and how our successes and failures are woven together in a meaningful way, we begin to realize the significance in circumstances we didn’t understand at the time.  

As believers, we are invited to play an essential role in an important story. When we lose sight of the Gospel, the redemptive story of love, hope, rescue and a hero’s victory, we neglect the opportunity to partake in the greatest story available to humanity. 

All stories are powerful, but the story of the Gospel – God becoming man to save humanity and defeat death – surpasses anything the world could offer. The moment the words of Jesus become more than words on a page is when we choose to become part of this exciting narrative woven throughout eternity and available to each of us.  

The story of the Gospel revolutionizes the world, sweeps across continents, transcends time and transforms lives. In a grand gesture of love for us, he invites us into the story where he works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). 

Walking with Jesus is an invitation to become an active participant in something much greater than ourselves. When Jesus says, “follow me,” he does not mean to sit idly by and watch heroes of the faith do his work. Instead, he invites us all to be a part of his plan, as active participants and co-laborers in the greatest story ever told. 

Wood is the editor-in-chief. Follow her on Twitter.