I’ve been surrounded by stories my entire life. Going to a cookout, you always had the men holding a beer in their hand and re-telling about that football game they played 15 years ago. The women are gathered together talking about that one time that guy they loved turned out to be a jerk. As a child, you just listen, enthralled by the life that the story comes from.
As I get older, I realized that everyone gets a story to tell that comes from the life they’ve lived. How rich and compelling the stories are depends on how much a person is willing to continue living.
Jabu was born in 1967 and has 2 living children, 2 deceased children, and 2 grandchildren. She is the primary caregiver for her children and grandchildren and an orphan that had no one to take care of them. She began working at the Mkhombokati Care Point in 2002 because of her heart to care for the orphans in the community. Her husband passed away in 2004 and in 2005 Jabu began working with Timbali Crafts. She is able to help provide for her family of 6 and loves the community of women she works with.
As people grow, they must continue to live. The older you get, the more understanding you have that just because you are alive doesn’t mean you are living. People can stop living when they graduate high school or get married or get a job. Living can stop once you’ve accomplished a huge dream or suffered a major loss.
And in every single one of these life-stoppers, someone’s story is left unfinished. Their “life book” is left with blank pages. Their movie cuts off 30 minutes in. Every breath we have been given has a purpose, and when we ignore that fact, we steal from the world the beautiful story we were meant to tell.
Ruby was born in 1930 and has been serving with the Ntabamhloshana Care Point since 2002. She has no living children, but is taking care of her 2 nephews and her brother’s 3 grandchildren, who are orphaned. Since 2004, she has been working with Timbali Crafts to support herself and the children. She loves the bible studies that Timbali Crafts has and meeting the women from the other Care Points. Her prayer is that her health stays strong so she can continue to serve the community and provide for the children.
The two things that God is utilizing to bring His Kingdom to Earth are the blood of Jesus and the words of our stories.God chose the life of His son and the lives of His followers to drive out the darkness and bring people into eternal life.
And yet, so many Christian’s leave their story at the beginning of their life. “I was xxxx before God and then He saved me.”
That’s it. That’s it?? No way!
Life in general is meant to be lived from first breath to last, but when you begin following Jesus, your life takes on an even bigger meaning. It’s no longer about that perfect date you had, but about the people God needs you to reach out to. It’s about His world and His purpose and His people, and when we refuse to live the story He has written for us, we affect the stories of others that needed their Savior to show up.
Part of the ministry I worked with this month needed me to form stories of women who made things for Timbali Crafts. But as I read their interviews, I was in awe of the women. They never stopped living their lives. They continued to operate in the present and make their story count.
My question to each one of you reading this blog is simple: 1) are you making your breath’s count and continuing your life story? 2) Is your life story being lived to show God’s glory?
If it isn’t then I challenge you to meet with God and say, “Write my story and tell me what comes next.” Then do whatever He says.
Juliet has been working at the Timbutini Care Point since 2003. Her heart broke for the amount of children that needed someone to take care of them and knows that through the care point, she can help them. She was born in 1963 and is taking care of 3 of her children and 3 of her grandchildren. She has been providing for her family through Timbali Crafts since 2005. The testimonies of the women she works with uplifts her spirit, and her prayer is that her children will grow up focusing on school and the Lord.
