Have you ever been deeply touched by someone’s story? Touched to the point that it changes your outlook on life or causes you see your situation differently?
Maybe you even see God differently afterward?
When I started writing about my stepmom journey, I often felt anxious when I realized that hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people now knew raw parts about me.
I have often asked myself, “Why would anyone care about what I have to say?” or “Will I be judged for how I’ve felt over the years?”
But God has reminded me of something each time:
It’s not my story to share, but His.
It’s His glory to receive from what He has done and what He’s revealed in my journey through life. Let’s be honest: The stories I share are only possible because of God’s grace, because without grace and self control, there would probably be a horribly sad ending to each one after I lost my temper and ended up in jail! (Kidding…kind of.)
I am a storyteller by nature.
My husband has often joked that when I re-tell a story, it’s longer than the actual event! I’ll admit it: I’m a details person! And while I have tried to be less long-winded and share a more concise version recounting a story on most occasions, I find the most connection with others over sharing stories — yes, sometimes the full-length version!
But I also love listening to the stories of others. I find it deeply satisfying to get a glimpse into a person’s heart when I hear their story, or observe that person walking through life.
Sometimes we assume our own story isn’t that powerful or interesting.
We assume our words aren’t anything remarkable, and we assume our story has to look all organized and neat and tidy before we dare let others in.
We’d like to wait till all the chapters are written, or until all the hurtful, painful, ugly parts are edited out and we have finally figured everything out. (Ha, right?)
We want to remove the insecure parts. The bitter parts. The parts where life isn’t fair and when people have wronged us. Or when we have failed ourselves.
Maybe we especially try to ignore the parts that look so different from other people’s stories and we compensate by putting on a facade and trying to appear in control.
But let’s consider this:
Whose story is it? Who does it belong to, anyway?
My kids and I have been reading through the Action Bible for kids. It’s been an incredibly fun and interesting way for us work our way through the stories of the Old Testament with realistic pictures in a comic-book format.
Over and over again, I have found myself deeply engrossed in the stories, and more importantly, I have been moved by seeing the heart of God in each story.
We have watched the characters of the Bible try and fail. We have seen them have hope in God and do what was right, but then feel alone, afraid, forgotten and then choose to turn their backs on God. Even when prophets of God told them to hold on and keep serving Him because goodness and peace were coming, they did what they thought was right.
They decided to become the author of their own story.
If only they would have just waited…and trusted…and obeyed! They would have been spared so much struggle and heartache and even death…
But they chose to become the author of their own story instead of surrendering it to God.
They acted impulsively. They reacted out of anger or fear. But yet, each time, God still forgave them and embraced them as His own.
Sometimes we give too much power to the people or situations that have hurt us.
We allow their voice to be the author of our story.
But in doing that, we silencing the true Author who isn’t finished writing our story. We assume God has forgotten us, but He tells us to wait patiently, as He weaves together the messy parts of our life to bring purpose to our pain.
An author knows how the story ends, and God’s promise tells us:
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6
Here’s the thing about our stories.
They touch people, even when they’re not finished yet.
They’re beautiful when they’re vulnerable.
They reach hearts and strike a chord, resonating deep within the soul of someone else.
And if we look hard enough, we see God loving us throughout our whole story; yes, even in the chaotic, messy parts!
