Not everyone is skilled in the art and practice of storytelling. In times of old, the job of a storyteller was the purview of those who could capture imaginations. Those versed in the practice of the art of storytelling may have passed on tales of ancestry and culture. Traditions in music, dance, and history became legend as generations passed. In the 1980s, folk singer Mike Jones wrote a song titled “The Storyteller”. This song encapsulated the art and practice of storytelling. The lyrics are a poem that I’d like to share with you:
The Storyteller
“I’m a teller of tales, a spinner of yarns,
A weaver of dreams and a liar.
I’ll teach you some stories to tell to your friends,
While sitting at home by the fire.
You may not believe everything that I say
But there’s one thing I’ll tell you that’s true
For my stories were given as presents to me
And now they are my gifts to you.
“My stories are as old as the mountains and rivers
That flow through the land they were born in
They were told in the homes of peasants in rags
And kings with fine clothes adornin.
There’s no need for silver or gold in great store
For a tale becomes richer with telling
And as long as each listener has a pair of good ears
It matters not where they are dwelling.
“A story well told can lift up your hearts
And help you forget all your sorrows
It can give you the strength and the courage to stand
And face all your troubles tomorrow.
For there’s wisdom and wit, beauty and charm
There’s laughter and sometimes there’s tears
But when the story is over and the spell it is broken
You’ll find that there’s nothing to fear.
“My stories were learned in my grandparent’s home
Where their grandparents also had heard them
They were given as payment by travelling folk
For a warm place to lay down their burdens
My stories are ageless, they never grow old
With each telling they are born anew
And when my story is ended, I’ll still be alive
In the tales that I’ve given to you.
Books and Authors
Books and stories have been a part of my life from my earliest memories. With admiration and awe, I’ve opened the pages of a new book and been enthralled by their authors. Authors who can create worlds, characters, plots, and subplots which drive me to turn page after page. With each page, I grow to identify with each character bringing them to life in my imagination. As the stories progress, I am cheering for heroes, jeering at villains, and wondering how the story will unfold.
Authors such as William Shakespeare, Brandon Sanderson, David McCullough, and Glenn Beck energize my thoughts. Margaret Weiss, Tracy Hickman, and George Lucas bring alive new worlds. The works of R. A. Salvatore, Gerald Lund, John Bytheway, Emily Dickenson, and Jane Austen have inspired me. Ron Chernow, Robert Louis Stevenson, Eoin Colfer, Brad Meltzer and others have encouraged me to learn more, and be more.
My Story
Each story is different, some are historically true, others are just brilliant fantasy.
The first chapter of my story began a long time ago in a land far, far away. While I know something of my beginning, I do not remember the first chapter of my life. I was born of a loving father and mother whom I adored and wanted to emulate. There were many lessons I had to learn, and difficult choices I had to make. I was given the ability to choose, and I chose to keep learning. The most important lessons my parents needed me to learn required me to leave their home and strike out on my own. That first chapter ended when I came here to earth, born into this mortal existence, and beginning Chapter 2 of my life.
For many years, I decided that chapter two of my story would be written solely by me and unedited by anyone else. For all those years, my narrative was weak, my story broken, and my plot…well, quite forgettable. I knew what story I wanted to write and that was that. With each page I’d write, I’d make mistakes in spelling, the grammar was all wrong, and the characters were flat and undeveloped. I pressed on, unwilling to listen for advice, my pride was the main character of my story. I felt that when my story was published, I would be belting out a heavenly version of Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way!”
Chapter Two
At my first publishing deadline, I presented my version of chapter two to the Master Publisher of all stories. He sent back the script and said: “Roy, the plot is missing depth, wisdom, love, struggle, victory, all the elements that will make this story a success. The main character is weak, childish, and unrefined.
“This chapter, well, it needs some work. I’m sending my Son to you to suggest some edits”. Jesus Christ, the Master Editor sat with me and listened to my ideas. With eternal wisdom and infinite love, He tore up my rough draft, handed me a clean sheet of paper and said, “Let’s start over”.
Chapter two has not been fully written yet, but I am no longer doing the writing. With a desire to let God prevail, I am willing to let the Savior be the author and finisher of my story.
The Master Editor
What is your story and who is the author? Will you invite the Master Editor to be the author and finisher of your story?
Sister Camille N. Johnson, the Primary General President, asked “What do you suppose keeps us from turning our stories over to Him?”
“Perhaps it is because we don’t have the faith to accept the answer we might receive. Perhaps it is because the natural man or woman in us is resistant to turning things completely over to the Lord and trusting Him entirely. Maybe that is why we choose to stick with the narrative we have written for ourselves, a comfortable version of our story unedited by the Master Author. We don’t want to ask a question and get an answer that doesn’t fit neatly into the story we are writing for ourselves.
“Frankly, few of us would probably write into our stories the trials that refine us. But don’t we love the glorious culmination of a story we read when the protagonist overcomes the struggle? Trials are the elements of the plot that make our favorite stories compelling, timeless, faith promoting, and worthy of telling. The beautiful struggles written into our stories are what draw us closer to the Savior and refine us, making us more like Him.”
Edits and Revisions
When Sister Johnson said that we probably would not choose to write into our stories “trials that refine us”, I said, ” Amen, Sister!”. As chapter two of my life unfolds, many times I have gone back to the Savior and begged, cried, and pleaded to have the story changed. “I do not want this trial,” I said, “I cannot climb this mountain.” Yet, He reminds me of those earlier drafts of my story, and I humbly submit to His edits.
Much like most social media posts, it would be easier to write only of the pleasantries of life. Recording only the vacations, happy moments, smiles, and laughter would be easier, but that is rarely where my author leads. As Joseph Smith once said, “deep water is what I am wont to swim in”.
I am not alone in facing trials. History bears witness to the greatness that life’s challenges can create in those who endure. If we let them, trials and adversity can become the pivot points in our life. Points where the Savior can turn the page and begin writing a prose that will stand the test of time.
Strengthened by trials
Who would David be without Goliath, Esther without the king, Joseph Smith without Liberty Jail, or Jesus Christ without Gethsemane and the cross? These stories of struggles inspire us to become more than we are. They lift our hearts when the mountains appear in our pathway of life, and give us hope that we too can endure our trials.
Sister Johnson said: “Why do we want the Savior to be the author and the finisher of our stories? Because He knows our potential perfectly, He will take us to places we never imagined ourselves. He may make us a David or an Esther. He will stretch us and refine us to be more like Him. The things we will achieve as we act with more faith will increase our faith in Jesus Christ.
“Brothers and sisters, just one year ago our dear prophet asked: “Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? … Are you willing to let whatever He needs you to do take precedence over every other ambition?” I humbly add to those prophetic inquiries: “Will you let God be the author and finisher of your story?”
Luke tells us in chapter 1 verse 37: For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Let God Write Your Story
God has a plan for me, and He knows how he wants chapter two of my story to end. As I have let the Savior be the author of my story, it is with faith that I turn each page. I am fascinated by the development of this main character. As I turn my will over to God, He is revealing His will back to me.
My dear friends, let us choose to let the Savior write one more page of our chapter twos today. If that seems impossible, put down your pen, get on your knees, and ask for help. Or, reach out to a trusted friend and ask them to help you with the next sentence…whatever it may be. Letting God prevail and allowing Christ to be the author of our stories requires us to be obedient. We must keep His commandments and the covenants we have made. Repentance and forgiveness through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ can permanently erase any errors in your chapter two. Jesus Christ is the giant pink eraser that never breaks, crumbles, or gets lost in the back of the desk drawer.
I do not know how chapter two of my story will end, but I know I have faith in the author. Maybe my story leads to a mountain I must climb, maybe it is one I must help another climb. Perhaps this chapter will take decades to finish, perhaps not. It matters not, for Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of my story. And, I pray that when my story has ended, I’ll still be alive in the tales that I’ve given to you.
