The Power of a Story - Part 2

A few years ago, Father Richard Rohr said we only have one pattern - life, death, and resurrection. My immediate pushback was that while this is a good pattern, it’s not the only one. He said it so definitively - like it described everything, not just the story he was telling at the time. It turns out I agree with him.

The pattern points to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Still, all the great stories seem to follow this pattern, whether it is a figurative death-to-self in a hero’s journey story like Odysseus of the Oddesy or the death and return of Obi-Wan in Star Wars. Even Tom Sawyer attended his own funeral. Children’s stories have this pattern, like the classic Beauty and the Beast or the newer Frozen movie. It feels like all great stories echo the greatest story ever told.

Looking back on my life, I can see times when it was necessary to say goodbye to something for the next thing to show up. At the end of the year, we think about Jesus, his birth, and the greatest story ever told, but also our own stories going into a new year. What part of your story needs a death and resurrection? If you would like to know more about how your story can reflect the newness of a new year, please Contact Us.