This morning I had the opportunity to speak during one of our sessions at our leadership development week that happens every three months. It’s a time for our squad to come together and learn from each other’s passions, and it’s always a great time of getting to know one another better and grow from others. My talk this morning was on the power and greatness of storytelling, which is one of my biggest passions. I really love getting to know people and then sharing what they taught me, even if they didn’t even intend on teaching me anything! The points that God gave me to share with my squad were empowering, encouraging, and inspiring for myself as well, so I thought I would share them here too. I fully believe that everyone is a storyteller who is capable of bringing Kingdom anywhere we go.
WHY SHOULD WE TELL OUR STORIES?
• To encourage and uplift others.
+ Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story, whom he has redeemed from trouble.”
+ The stories we share of those we’ve met and our experiences can be a light in the darkness.
• To bring others to faith in Christ.
+ John 20:31 says, “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
+ What we share and talk about can lead someone to Christ.
• To testify to the awesome work of Christ in our lives and to look back at what we have witnessed.
+ “Our calling is to tell His story.” – Pastor George from Fathers House, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
+ John 21:25 says, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
+ For me, it’s therapeutic and makes me realize just how amazing God is when I write out the things that I experience.
• To offer guidance & hope.
+ Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.”
+ Our words can change the trajectory of someone’s eternity.
WHAT HOLDS US BACK FROM TELLING OUR STORIES?
• COMPARISON: “What I have to share isn’t as good as his/hers/theirs/that.”
+ Our motive is not to compete in who can get reposted or re-Grammed by WR/AIM. It’s about sharing our hearts, experiences, and others’ testimonies for His glory.
• FEAR: “What will others think?”
+ Don’t allow the fear of others’ opinions to hold you back from sharing. It could be just what one person needs to read/hear in that very moment to inspire them to speak up/bring them closer to Jesus.
• DISCOUNTING INFLUENCE: “No one really cares what I have to say/have been through.”
+ The Bible is a book of real stories from real people, same as us; Real people/real stories! Do you think David ever imagined that his poetry to God would be read over 2000 years later?!
During my session with my squad, we listened to “My Story” by Big Daddy Weave. It’s a really cool song about how our stories point others back to Christ. We also took ten minutes to write the beginnings of a story of faith, healing, or victory that we have witnessed during our Race. My challenge to all my stateside readers: the same. Create a story about something amazing God has been doing in your life or about someone who inspires you. Then, send them my way!
My email address is: [email protected]
I would love to hear from anyone who creates a story in any form… Video, writing, poem, song, etc.
To tell our stories is to tell of Jesus. Can’t wait to hear from you!
