The Story of a Storyteller

Published on Feb 25, 2012
There isn't much to say about yourself when you're the storyteller. To spend a life in pursuit of telling the stories other people have lived is often easier than trying to tell your own story. Though recently I started to realize the history that can come from a life well-lived. My grandfather lived an extraordinary life, each day involved meeting new people and changing lives with the interactions he had. Growing up I loved visiting my grandparents, because it always meant a trip the commissary, Burger King, and then the rest of the day watching cartoons in their game room. On occasion I would stare at a photograph that hung in my grandfathers office. It portrayed he and John F. Kennedy shaking hands just after Air Force One had landed at a base my grandfather was stationed at. Even as a kid the history in that one moment intrigued me, but I never bothered to ask him what happened that day. After my grandfather passed away that picture took on new meaning, not only for the lost history and the conversations I had with him, but also it stirred thoughts about the history I would leave behind. ## Live Life or Lose It What would happen if I never took the chance to tell my story, or at least write it down? Not that I live an extraordinary life, but what family history might be lost for my children, or grandchildren if I never took the time. The fascination I have with writing is being able to take a blank page and turn it into a page with life. Where once it was blank the words give one page a unique character, and quite literally give it a piece of the story to tell through the plethora of words and phrases it holds. God does the same thing in our lives. He wraps circumstances, and history into one person so that the glory of His name might be displayed for the world to see. The history that God is writing is the history of His work in you. ## Life in a Nutshell Throughout the years I've had to tell the story of my life through life maps. With each retelling of my life a different group of people get a slightly different view of my life through the things I include, or those that I exclude. I tend to be a more reserved person when I talk about myself, and keep the few shaded details away from those that I don't necessarily trust implicitly. Though when you have a thirty-minute slot to tell your story there is only so much that can be said. I suppose that may get harder when I have more life to cram into that moment and even now that is hard enough.  The storytellers journey begins with the first story, and like all stories it starts with a beginning and finishes with an ending. While the beginning can set the tone for the tale that follows it is never so crucial as those last moments. The last words an individual speaks are usually the most important things that they will ever say, and I believe the same about all stories. For a final chapter there is nothing like a life well lived, and an honored life in Christ is one of those lives that I can believe in. It's a life lived in faith, and it's a life lived on more than paper. Time on this earth is fleeting, and for one brief moment the gust of air blows and then it's gone amongst the winds to the east and west. For that moment we are but ambassadors choosing and learning to live in the span of a breath waiting to be remembered in eternity.
Justin Hough author picture
Justin Hough

Chief Development Officer at Hounder. He is a Christian, husband, father, writer, developer, designer, and a digital carpenter crafting amazing web experience. Also, created the Centurion Framework many moons ago.