The Magnetism of Stories

Have you ever been so engrossed in something that when you are, inevitably, snapped back into reality, it almost feels like you were physically, not just mentally, removed?

That is how I feel every single time I hear, read, watch, or listen to a great story. Words have weight, and when used to shape a plot, appease the imagination, they also have a draw to them.

Great stories are magnetic; you can’t be pulled away easily.

I know I’m not the only one who has mulled a plot line or a character over and over in their brain for days. There are people beside me who have been so enraptured by a fictional event, that when reflecting on it, feel as if the event was real. We’ve all been drawn into worlds not our own, planets and places that don’t quite exist.

We can’t help it.

This past week, my brain has kept drifting to a town not my own; a place that doesn’t exist. It mulled over people I have never met and will never meet. I won’t tell you the plot (that may show the shallow dramas that I sometimes appreciate, and, well…we’ll just leave it at that), but the story has definitely been on my mind.

Sometimes, I think we beat ourselves up for this tendency; we are so prone to idolize that the thought of having something on our brain frequently scares us to death. Certainly, we should be cautious of the stories we consume, and we should seek to fix our eyes on Jesus. Stories should be enjoyed, taken in, but not used as a numbing agent.

Yet, we forget that the One we worship created us to be enthralled by stories. Great, powerful, awesome stories gained their magnetism from Him.

After all, didn’t Jesus himself speak in stories? He realized that they’re captivating; after all, he is the Hero, the focal point of the greatest (and truest) story ever told. Why would he use bullet points and lectures when he could touch people’s heart through tales and plot lines instead?

I think the reason stories are so magnetic because in each and every one of them, we catch a glimpse of God, of the relationship between divinity and humanity. Whether there is great evil being enjoyed or fought against, power being abused or used wisely, love that is beautiful or love that is harmful, you can find pieces of who God is scattered throughout every story you touch, hear, take in.

Stories are magnetic, as they should be. As we find ourselves being drawn in, let us keep our feet attached on a secure foundation and our hearts satisfied in Christ, but let us thoroughly enjoy them. After all, in every story, if we look close enough, we can catch a reflection of who God is and what he has done.

(PC: Whimsical Epiphany)