Stories inspire us. They provide teaching, encouragement, correction, and insight in a way that comes alive because the stories themselves are living. Much better than any lecture, stories are authentic examples of the lessons they wish to share.
So it is no surprise that the most watched vide on the Lausanne Global Conversation is a story. One of the highlights of the entire congress was the story of a young North Korean student and her faith journey in that difficult part of the world. Take some time to watch it if you aren’t one of the 38,000 who already have.
But while her story is amazing, I want to focus on each of our stories. Many of us feel as thought are stories are very ordinary. We have suffered a little, had a few victories, and enjoyed times of service, but we don’t see our story as anything worth repeating.
I want to challenge that thought in this blog post. If your story includes the life-transforming power of Jesus, then it is worth telling to whoever will listen. Here are a few reasons why:
- Your story is accessible: To those who know you, your story is easy to relate to and understand. You have a common connect that allows your story to flow freely into their lives.
- Your story is applicable: The experiences, struggles and victories you have had will make sense to many of those around you. When you share them, they will relate and respond.
- Your story is authentic: The people with whom you share can validate your story and can affirm its truth. You are a representation of the truth because people can see it lived out in you daily.
- Your story is affirming: When people hear your story, they will be affirmed in their aspirations, their struggles and their search for truth. Your experiences can show people that God is with us and is for us—even in the hardest of times.
The most common way that Christians have told their story is through the preparation of a testimony. This is good, but I would ask you to go farther. Many times testimonies are centered on the moment of salvation with little real life context. Sometimes this is because we are short on time to tell our stories. Other times this is because we don’t think the other parts of our story are important. Both of these limitations detract from your story. Don’t be afraid to tell your whole story to whoever will listen. You will be surprised what small details and circumstances God will use to touch a heart.
As we begin this year, take some time to walk through your story in detail. Identify the moments of service, grace, suffering, encouragement, doubt, patience, sin, passion, confusion, trust, etc. Then be ready to use your story as a vehicle to communicate the Good News with those around you.