What is the Value of Stories?

Stories have been a part of my life ever since I was born. 

When I was too young to read, my parents read them too me. Once they taught me how to do it myself, I began to seek out every book I could find and devour it as hungrily as a piece of candy. 

I was "that kid" who brought her Kindle to class and read during breaks. I'd sit by the night-light for hours when I should have been asleep, turning pages. The stories consumed me. I'd lie awake, imagining myself in the place of the characters I'd grown to love, long into the night. 

That love for stories hasn't left me. Though I've read less than usual in recent months, due to the increased responsibilities that come with growing older, I still read some. And whenever I can, I relish the opportunity. 

Now that I'm older, I'm more aware of the books I read. And that awareness leads me to wonder: how do the stories I consume affect me? 

I've noticed a few things about myself. One is that I look up to the characters in books, and I become a little bit more like them whenever I spend time in their story. This doesn't seem like it should be the case, since they're not really people, but it is—and it's just one example of the power that a story can hold. 

Stories are powerful. They show us what life is like, and they show us what life should be like. And making them is an act of worship to the author of the greatest story ever written. 

 

Stories can show us what life is like. 

Yes, I'm talking about fiction. Fiction applies to any story that didn't actually happen, when the events are just made up in the storyteller's mind. Some people think of them as "false" stories—true stories being the ones that did occur, and therefore are more "realistic" than fiction. 

However, there's a lot of truth to be found in fiction. The nature of man, for instance, should be the same in fiction as it is in nonfiction. Characters should be similar. Consequences should be realistic. And the deeper, higher truths should still be true. 

This applies to all genres. Romance? Yes. Mysteries? Of course. Fantasy and science fiction? You bet—even in genres that change the setting to something completely different than the world we live in, there are some things that remain the same. 

I've read a lot of books, but the ones that stuck with me have been the ones that showed me something about what was real. And yes, many of them are fantasy. They deal with themes like humility, diligence, poverty, and love—all treated thoughtfully and carefully, and with respect for the truth. 

Those are the stories that I remember. And because of them them, I've learned more about the nature of the world. 

 

Stories show us what life should be like. 

Something I appreciate about a good story is the happy ending. Sure, not all of them have one—the Greeks were quite fond of a tragedy, and so was the great Bard William Shakespeare—but most stories do, and those tend to be my favorite. 

But not all true stories have a happy ending. Sometimes, the army doesn't win. The doctors can't fix the problem. The quest doesn't get completed, and you're left wondering why. 

Why, then, should our stories be happy when life so often isn't? 

A good story will recognize the reality that tragedies do occur, and will deal with that appropriately. But that doesn't mean filling our books with darkness and angst. We need to be aware of tragedy, but we also need to be aware that tragedy isn't all that exists—there is sunlight, and there are flowers, and there are happy endings. 

Even besides that, a story is not simply a mirror held up to the world. A good story should show us what should be, not just what is. Justice should be upheld; people should be kind. Though this too often isn't the case, we still should celebrate these things. 

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book Mere Christianity, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” 

Stories awaken this feeling in us. When you read about an act of self-sacrifice and your heart is moved, you're feeling what Lewis is talking about. 

You're feeling the presence of God. 

The greatest stories that I have ever read have inspired in me a longing for Heaven, and a deeper awe at the saving work of Christ Jesus. Even without directly saying it, they've shown me God's goodness—and I've marveled.

That world isn't here yet. But it's coming. 

 

Creating stories is an act of worship to the author of the greatest story ever written. 

In his essay On Fairy-Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien describes the idea of "sub-creation." In a nutshell, sub-creation is what we do whenever we humans create something—specifically, when we create a story. 

God is the author of the story of the world. That story is written down in the Bible, of course, but even though you and I aren't mentioned by name in the Bible, we are still characters in the story that God has written. 

So, whenever we write, or create anything, we are sub-creating. A created being is imitating its Creator. 

For some, this is an act of worship. It is for me. It's when I'm trying to imitate my Father, and since I'm made in his image, I can. I am looking at his creation, and marveling at it—because nothing I make can ever measure up. 

Stories communicate truth. And they are powerful.

But all stories should point back to the greatest story of all. Because it's the only one that matters, and it's going to last for all of eternity.