If you read my daughter a story, she’s going to sit on you. It’s just a fact.
In preschool circle time, she’d crawl into the teacher’s lap in defiance of all propriety. At home, she insists on cramming into the recliner alongside me, wedging into my armpit as I read, and I frequently find her fogging up the TV screen with baited breath.
She just wants to be as close as possible to the storyteller.
While this tendency can be awkward for, say, public librarians, it fills my heart with joy. Not only because as a lifelong reader and writer I have an abiding love of stories that I want to share with my child, but because I know the Master Storyteller—the Source of the Greatest Story Ever Told.
Parable after parable (Matthew 13), metaphor after metaphor (Mark 4), Jesus tells us the tale of God’s wonder, majesty, power, love, and mercy. He narrates the most epic saga of unfailing grace that culminates in the Author writing a new ending of redemption for every character, even the villains.
It’s a story worth listening to as closely as possible.
The nearer we draw to Jesus while we listen to His grand tale, the better we hear, the deeper our understanding, the more full our engagement, and the greater our love for both the story and the Teller.
Maybe it’s been a while since you let Jesus tell you His story. That’s okay. It’s never too late; He’s never too busy; and He would love it if you sat on His lap.
This post originally appeared on Joyful Life. Follow them for daily devotional content, inspiration, and teaching on the wonder of God.