Today’s teaching embellishments is dedicated to the value of story and how it can contribute to the structure of home life. I hope these ideas can be of use to youth ministries, family counselors, parents and grandparents as well as family devotionals and home evenings.

I like to give some specific examples of the value of story.

Sharing stories of a parent’s past can help enable a child to understand that their mother and father has had the same temptations, emotions and experiences as a child or teen as they did. Such stories can illustrate that a parent can truly relate to the feelings of the child. If the parent can share a bad mistake in their past and how it complicated their life, than they can use personal experience to warn their own child against a similar behavior.

Another thing that can be shared with kids is the life stories of ancestors. The events of one’s ancestor can give the child a perspective of connection between past ancestors and themselves. When you share stories of these ventures of ancestors, such as coming across the ocean as immigrants or a building a home and started a new life in a new state; this can show a child that they can walk a similar yet different path as their ancestors. Their ancestors survived challenges and so can we can too. When they know that an ancestor succeed against challenges through work and perseverance, the child may realize they can do so as well with similar effort.

Another section of stories to share is of a religious nature. Think of all the wonderful stories shared of the Old Testament and the teachings in principles shared in the New Testament. Consider all the examples illustrated throughout the Scriptures. These stories can provide a foundation of moral behavior, beginning at a young age that can stretch to our maturity. One of the best suggestions I’ve heard about making the scriptures relevant to ourselves, is that when we read the Scriptures and we hear the counsel of Christ as he talks to someone; we can put our names in place of the person Christ, all one of his disciples talking to. That can help us relate to the Scriptures to ourselves, which also includes the counsel of the Scriptures.

Another good example of story is sharing the moments and figures of history. You may have a chance to share how people accomplish a dream through personal perseverance, or how people of different opinions, such as the founding fathers of America, work together to achieve a common goal. Some excellent example of this might be the writing of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights are the reunion of the South to the North. Consider sharing events from the lives of historical figures of your local town, city or state history.

If your children enjoy sports or certain hobbies, you may be able to tap into the experiences of some of your child’s heroes and how their past efforts help them succeed.

This is just an invitation for us to widen our perspectives when telling stories at bedtime. Stories of the Scriptures are some wonderful examples that could help a child gain perspective. With ancestors and heroes of all types that can all illustrate how a child can succeed. This thinking upon all the wonderful stories within the Scriptures illustrates a whole repertoire of examples.

If you have ideas that you feel it be a positive contribution to this idea, please feel free to share it in the comment section this blog. Thanks