“Nothin’ stacks up to fishin’, but tellin’ the tale is mighty close.”
There are few things in this life that transcend time, culture and geography but “fisherman tales” are on the short list. Who of us can’t recall a favorite tale or haven’t constructed one of our own? Another endearing characteristic of fishing tales is that the teller not only brags of his successes (the ones caught) but he also unashamedly boasts of his failures (the ones that got away).
For the fisherman, the telling of the tale not only communicates his love of the sport and his skill but also his dream of future conquest. And for those with a fisherman’s heart, the stories are inspiring whether they are the listener or the teller.
We, Kingdom fishermen, need to take a lesson from our wet, smelly brothers. Telling the tale is important. It is instructional. It is motivating. It communicates passion. It is personal. It is effective.
Our culture has rejected the idea of absolute truth and standards of right and wrong but places high value on personal experience. Personal story telling is therefore a powerful tool to reach those in our spheres of influence. Too often we discount our own stories of salvation and life with Christ because they are not sensational or dramatic or because we are embarrassed of where Christ has taken us from. We loose sight of the fact that there are people all around us, Christians and non-Christians, in similar situations that need the encouragement and inspiration of our story to take their next step toward or with Jesus.
We need to remember, there is power even in our spoken word (in our testimony). It cements the faith of the teller and can significantly influence and inspire the listener. Real life stories of successes, of failures, of near misses and future hopes.
Have you told your stories lately? Someone needs to hear them.
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