Blessed With the Gift of Story
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.””
One day, while Ken Arentson was still on staff, he and I were talking about what makes our jobs so special. We both agreed that being invited into the life stories of others is a special gift. Some of these stories are funny, others are painful. Each person and their stories are unique and often spiritually inspirational. It isn’t just pastors who get this opportunity. All of us have the opportunity to find the spiritual joy of living in the stories of others.
It requires the ability to listen, appreciate, and embrace. First, it seems obvious, but one must take the time to listen to others. Sure, there are moments where the talk is simply that, talk. But there are other times when the talk turns into a transformative story and the person’s soul comes to life. If time is too valuable to spend listening to others, then don’t go down this road. You will only get frustrated.
The second ability one should nurture to experience others is the gift of appreciation. In order to listen and glean the spiritual inspiration of others, one must appreciate the person for who they are as a person. Too many people judge others before they even hear their story. If they do not live up to our preconceived notion, we will fail to hear their life-changing story. Appreciating the story of others requires enough humility to meet each person with respect.
Finally, experiencing others requires the ability to embrace others. Sometimes we listen to others and what they have to say doesn’t seem immediately interesting to our ears. We are called to embrace the person, because when we show others respect, they often offer us their best self. Their best self should be enough for us. Today, pray that each of us will learn to listen, appreciate and embrace others with a Christ-like love.
