Words and Photography by Nadine Wilmanns

Everyday Stories

“…one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold. When it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.”

(Charles Dickens, teller of great everyday stories, in “Great Expectations”)

This week I have found myself praying much more often than usual.

I don’t mean the sit-down-and-pray kind of prayers, but more the in-between prayers of thank you and wow and please — more like keeping a steady connection to God. And this was thanks to a little everyday story that someone in the church group I go to told.

She said that they had booked a table for dinner in the city last Saturday, and when they came home she said to her partner and kids: “We have to pray and give thanks that it all went so smoothly and we all got home safe and sound without any incidents on the tube. We take so much for granted, but it could have been different — but it was all good, and we need to give thanks for that.”

Stories vs Knowledge

It’s interesting: I mean, I know how important and life-changing prayer is, but it’s not knowledge that made it come much more naturally and easy to me. Instead, it’s a little personal, everyday story.

That just shows us that stories are so powerful. Look at Jesus’ teaching: he taught in stories most of the time. And of course, he knows best how we work and tick, because he’s God and our creator after all.

Not every story speaks to every person — it depends on people’s identity, I guess. But if you hear the right story told by the right person, it can make a difference.

I often think, “I have no stories to tell — what is interesting or extraordinary about what is happening in my life, after all?” Yet I want to start practising a habit of storytelling in everyday life.

Do you tell stories? Have you heard any stories that made a change in you?