I’m not sure when my obsession with stories began, but I have always loved a good story. I remember as a kid, my nanny would tell me traditional stories before bedtime, like the Three Bears and Goldilocks. My mama would read stories to me all the time, and from a very young age I had a wild imagination, I’d even read books without pictures. She bought me Grimm’s fairy tales complete collection, and we would read them together (well, until we read Cinderella and found out her step sisters cut up their feet to fit in the shoe…weird). Then I began wanting to hear the Real stories, like stories from when my nanny was younger, and about her mother. Needless to say, I was a very inquisitive child.
Having grown up in unique circumstances, I wanted to know the story of me. It took a while to get all the pieces sorted out, but I finally got the whole picture and it turns out to be my second favorite story of all, after the one about Jesus.
Its not really my story though, its my mom’s story, because it certainly didn’t begin with me, I was just the character thrown in to create conflict, bring change, and make things, shall we say, more interesting..regardless, our story is not yet completed. There are still more pages to be written. However there has been Resolution, in that God can take the worst and darkest of situations and make them bright and beautiful. I am living proof! And this is why I love my story so much, is because it reflects the story of Christ.
We all have a story to share. I don’t care who you are or how plain you think your life has been. You have a special story, a unique account of life that should be shared. This year I have been recording peoples stories as I travel, their testimonies, their remarkable experiences of life and God’s work in them. These are special stories from people all over the world with different walks of life. Hearing these stories is such an encouragement to me, and I want to encourage you to share your story. Write it down or tell it to someone. It will be a gift for them, one of the most precious things you could give, your own testament of your life and how God has worked in it, and you may see how your story reflects the story of redemption, too.
Life is a gift and I believe its meant to be shared. Let’s rekindle our love for a good story, and in doing so we may realize the best one is the one we know best, the one we have lived out and know so well, our very own.
I would love to hear some of your stories, and if you would like to share them with me, please do so and email them to me at [email protected]. You are all wonderful. God gave you a story worth sharing!!
