“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” Maud Montgomery penned this line for the title character in her 1908 novel, “Anne of Green Gables.” The setting is based on Montgomery’s childhood home in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada. She describes “a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to rain—amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke-blue.”
The book’s popularity led to fan fascination with the green-gabled Victorian farmhouse, preserved by the Canadians as a historic site. It’s a historical curiosity that tourists from Japan are among the most avid. A missionary gifted the novel to a Japanese friend who translated and published it in 1952. Tourists visit Green Gables in October to experience the crisp air, vivid colors, and misty mornings. They want to step into the fictional world of Anne, “the dearest, most moving and delightful child,” per Mark Twain.
But they can’t. You can’t step into a fictional story, no matter how optimistic and vibrant the red-headed girl or how delightful the storytelling. But you can enjoy the October colors!
Jesus was a storyteller. What’s intriguing about His stories is that they do invite you to step into a revealed reality. You write yourself into the story. Consider some stories in Luke’s gospel. In “The Sower,” you are the one who “heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (8:15). In the Lost (Sheep, Coin, Son), you stir up heaven – in a good way. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (15:10). In The Rich Fool, you know the limitations of earthly possessions. “Do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (12:22-23). In the Wedding Feast, you are included with a seat at the table (14:23).
Jesus spoke in parables because He wanted people to lean into the reality reflected in the story. As you experience that reality, your understanding of God and yourself grows. “Whoever has, to him more shall be given,” Jesus said, “and he will have an abundance” (Matt. 13:12). I’m so glad I live in a world where Jesus told stories. I’m so glad I live in a world where reality is more than what I can see. I’m so glad I live in a world where eternity is within reach. And I agree with Anne. I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.