The Value of a Story

The sound of pages rustling, the smell of fresh paper, the feel of running fingers over stories--these are the reasons I love reading hardcover books and paperbacks. The story, of course, is of utmost importance.

I have trained up my boys well in regards to books. Walking into the used bookstore, they fell silent in awe of the floor to ceiling shelves containing all types of stories. How can we even choose?

Focusing on certain topics of interest, they randomly removed books and skimmed the book jackets, allowing the book title and cover to affect their decision whether to invest time in the story or not. Inferior books were re-shelved while several stand outs made the cut for purchase. The claimed books did not disappoint. The boys poured over these new stories, drinking in their scent, tasting their flavor.

At times I feel like a story, used and shelved in obscurity with every other type of story. How do I stand out from the rest? Does the cover I present cause others to view me as valuable? Does the book jacket--my social media presence--interest others in my story?

"The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b (NLT)

No matter the value others may place on me based on my outward appearance, God looks at the heart. He values me for my true story, not the story painted by public opinion. The Bible records David as a man who followed the Lord with all his heart (1 Kings 14:8). May my story be woven into the fabric of God's will.