It was a random find in my dad’s desk. Initially, I assumed I knew where the keys would fit and what was on the USB stick. I was wrong! I still have no idea what the keys will open. No doors in the house or shop can be opened with any of the keys. There are no indicators as to where I should look next, if at all. When I checked the USB stick, I found myself in stories I did not imagine or knew anything about. It felt as if I had stumbled into someone else’s story. I was blind, left with the question of what I should do with what I had.
Stories are invitations. Even when we are lead characters, each story invites us into a space and time of learning and growth. Experience reminds me to leave my assumptions and biases behind. Stories are revealed to the fullest when one approaches with curiosity and wonder. There are questions to ask, stones to be overturned, and points to be considered. I find that beauty and awe grow when one considers the story with hindsight as a friend. With each review, lessons and insights emerge for consideration and use. Life wants to teach us to the extent we are willing to listen and learn.
Story labels are not as helpful as I assumed. As Gerald May reminds us, what he thought was a blessing was a trial in disguise. Equally, trials were often blessings being unwrapped under challenging circumstances. As old writers remind us, “We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless.” (Hebrews 11.37). When I approach each story with openness and interest, I find myself wide out in the open, listening, understanding, and, in many cases, learning. I am no longer sure my label on a story is relevant. Joy can be experienced in the middle of hardships. Hope has been found in the middle of darkness.
Stories are doorways to more.
