The Healing Power of Narrative
I believe what distinguishes us as a species is not our technological prowess, but rather our extraordinary ability to confer meaning on our experience and to search for clues about our purpose from the world around us. I believe, too, that meaning of this kind—call it existential meaning—has from the beginning been the product of our other great distinguishing aptitude: the ability to communicate symbolically through language. Indeed, language is the soil, the seedbed, of meaning.—Sven Birkerts
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Many have spoken or written of the healing power of narrative. I, personally, can attest to its power. Who hasn't found great solace in the rich treasuries of literary history like Huck Finn, Moby Dick, Treasure Island, The Chronicles of Narnia, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, or even Winnie-the-Pooh or Grimm’s Fairy Tales?
Jesus, too, loved stories, and He told many; tradition calls them The Parables of Jesus. In fact, the way Jesus lived was, in many ways, a parable in and of itself. To those closest to Jesus, the way He lived seemed at times every bit as challenging to understand as the stories He told. Why was this? I think it was probably the inevitable result of the infinite Word of God incarnating Himself in the limiting contexts of a finite language, a particular cultural tradition, and the spirit-body of the man Jesus. Second to that, I think God extracts great pleasure from creating mystery, for God knows our encountering of mystery has a way of awakening something within us. And God's all about that—awakening us, that is.
So, yes, narrative can be a source of healing to us—a vehicle, even, in which God carries us to another place in our healing and our awakening as His children. Sometimes, to find the healing we need, we need to immerse ourselves in story—into that which dramatically draws us in and touches us in an arena of life where we're feeling lost, down, misunderstood, or, perhaps, just misplaced. Provided below is a list of stories (and story compilations) God has used to bring about significant healing in my life. Maybe they've had (or will someday have) a similar effect on you.
God's peace...
A Few of My Favorite Healing Narratives
The Holy Bible (all of it, but especially The Psalms and The Parables of Jesus)
The Chronicles of Narnia (all of them, but especially The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
The Screwtape Letters
Anything from the Anne of Green Gables stories
Joshua, A Parable for Today
Joshua and the Children
Little Women
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Nine O'Clock in the Morning
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Treasure Island
Anything from the Winnie the Pooh stories
The Servant
The Alchemist
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde​
Who Moved My Cheese
"Yes" or "No"
Hinds' Feet on High Places
Mountains of Spices
Way of the Peaceful warrior
The Journeys of Socrates
The Frontiersman
Johnny Tremain
The Book of Virtues
The Red Badge of Courage
Band of Brothers
Cinderella
Hamlet
Silas Marner
In His Steps
Anything from Grimm's Fair Tales
Emma
Pride and Predjudice
The Count of Monte Christo
The Lord of the Rings (all of them)
Les Miserables
Little Women
Sense and Sensibility
War and Remembrance
Biko (aka Cry Freedom)
Moby Dick
The Call of the Wild
