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​Using Stories To Teach Lessons
We learn best through stories.
It's not a coincidence Jesus spoke in stories. 
Stories resonate in our hearts, reaching not only our minds but our beings.
Give a child a story with lessons, and they will have the truth hidden in their hearts.
That's why traditions were started—usually to teach or illustrate something.
Here's two.

The story behind the 12 days of Christmas
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly.
Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to church members.
Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

  1. ‘The partridge in a pear tree’ was Jesus Christ.
  2. ‘Two turtle doves’ were the Old and New Testaments.
  3. ‘Three French hens’ stood for faith, hope and love.
  4. The ‘four calling birds’ were the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
  5. The ‘five golden rings’ recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
  6. The ‘six geese a-laying’ stood for the six days of creation.
  7. ‘Seven swans a-swimming’ represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit—prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leadership, and mercy.
  8. The ‘eight maids a-milking’ were the eight beatitudes.
  9. ‘Nine ladies dancing’ were the nine fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
    10.The ‘ten lords a-leaping’ were the Ten Commandments.
    11.The ‘eleven pipers piping’ stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
    12.The ‘twelve drummers drumming’ symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

    How many beatitudes would you be able to quote? Or points of the Apostles' Creed?
    Not sure, if I know much...and these were expected of the children!

In a similar way, a deck of cards has been used to present doctrines.
How?
The Ace reminds us that there is only one God.
The Two represents the two parts of the Bible: Old and New Testaments.
The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The Four represents the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The Five is for the five virgins. There were ten but only five were glorified (Matthew 25:1-13).
The Six is for the six days God used to create the heavens and earth (Genesis 1).
The Seven is for the day God rested after making His creation (Genesis 2:3).
The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives—eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the earth (Genesis 7:7).
The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him (Luke 17:11-19).
The Ten represents the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses on stone tablets (Exodus 20:1-21).
The Jack reminds of Satan, one of God’s first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell (Ezekiel 28:11-19).
The Queen represents Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38).
The King stands for Jesus, for He is the King of all kings (Revelation 19:16).
Count the dots on all the cards—365; one for every day of the year.
There are 52 cards in a deck; each is a week—52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represent the seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.
Each suit has thirteen cards—there are exactly 13 weeks in a quarter.
When you want to thank God, pull out a deck of cards and be reminded of all we have.

Stories and traditions...meant to teach.
Isn't that why our flag means so much. It stands for something.
Read the story behind the flag. It will humble you to want to respect what it means.
It isn't an accident that our public libraries have removed the classics and replaced them with propaganda and stories destroying family and biblical values.
Someone is teaching your children.
Use stories to teach them something that's eternal.


Displaying 1 comment

Very interesting. Facts by themselves don't stay with us very well, but put in an interesting way, especially with a story, and they will be remembered. When my kids were little we did lots of small science experiments and they always remembered those, but probably forgot most of what we read in books. Thanks for sharing.

I write about what matters...to you---
women, wives and moms---
about your family, faith and future.
I write about what's hard, what helps and what heals.
I show you how it's done. And not done.
I hold your hand as you find what matters to the Savior.
And let go of those things that mattered to you, but not to Him.
I write about what matters...to Him.
               Sonya Contreras

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Or here:
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Author of Biblical fiction, married to my best friend, and challenged by eight sons’ growing pains as I write about what matters.

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