When it comes to sharing our stories with others, it seems pretty easy to talk about the good things that have happened. The joys and victories in life naturally prompt us to praise God, and it feels easier to see His hand of blessing in the big and little things.
It feels a lot harder, though, to share the painful, challenging, or messy bits of our stories. In seasons when failure, heartache, anxiety, or grief threaten to overwhelm us, it can be difficult to discern where God is working. It can be a struggle to know how to share the hard parts of our story well.
But if the whole purpose of sharing our stories is to glorify God and help others see that He is still powerful, alive, and working, then we have to know how to share the difficult parts of our journey, too. Following Jesus means talking about the joys and the blessings, but also the rescue missions where He pulled us up out of the mud, dusted us off, and helped us walk forward again on solid ground. While we may fear what people might think of us or want to avoid being too vulnerable, sharing the hard parts of our story helps others know that they are not alone. Every time we share a part of our hearts and how the Lord met us in our need, it helps someone else know that God will meet them in theirs.
Psalm 107 calls us to tell how we have been redeemed from the foe, not by our own cleverness or strength, but by the power and saving grace of our Heavenly Father.
The hard seasons in our lives are often pivotal moments that can impact our faith and the faith of others, so when we share, it’s important that our perspective is grounded in Biblical truth.
We must first and foremost make sure that our identity is firmly rooted in Christ. Pain can be all-consuming, and sometimes we understandably focus so much on what we have been through that we unintentionally let it define us. It’s easy to fall into the trap of constructing a false identity based on our circumstances, instead of our true identity as daughters of the Most High God. We start to believe the lie that the most impactful part of our story is the difficult thing that we’ve endured, instead of the awesome power of Jesus at work in us, helping us to overcome.
When our relationship with Jesus is the defining factor in our lives, the hard things we have experienced no longer define us. Instead, they set the stage for us to shine a spotlight on the God who faithfully walked with us and loved us through it all. Our main story becomes the ongoing story of God’s love, grace, and redemptive power at work in us. At the end of the day, that is the story we are telling. And when Jesus is the main character, it takes the pressure off of us to say or do things perfectly. There’s room for our humanity when God’s sovereignty and grace are on display.
If you are reading this and struggling to see where God is working, or you’re in the middle of your healing process, allow me to extend a big, heaping scoop of grace to you right now. It is ok to just work on letting God put the pieces of your heart back together. Let Him sing over you with love, protect you under the shelter of His wing, and remind you how precious you are to Him. Fix your eyes on Jesus and ask Him to give you wisdom and discernment as you heal, grow, and move forward. Talk with trusted friends and seek wise counsel. There is no rush or pressure to share the hard things until you and God are ready. With God’s direction and in His perfect timing, your story of healing will change lives, even if it is simply within the four walls of your house.
Genesis 50:20 says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
There will be a day when you will be on the other side of things and better able to share from a place of healing instead of in the middle of the hurting. When you have gone from pain to peace, then you’ll more easily see where God is redeeming that pain for purpose.
From a place of confident identity in Christ, we can have more clarity as we discern what, when, and how much to share. One of my mentors told me once that prayerful planning creates room for the Holy Spirit to work, because we can more freely listen to His voice instead of the task at hand.
For me, it has been helpful to spend time with the Lord before I share some of the harder parts of my story. I pray and examine my heart using some of the questions below and then sit quietly with Jesus, allowing Him to shape how I share my story. It helps me see any boundaries I need to set for myself or others, the level of detail I go into, and most importantly, to make sure that I am bringing the hope and encouragement of Christ to people, not just telling them a great story.
I want to encourage you to take time to honestly work through the questions below and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you insight. Invite God to write your story with you so that you can have clarity, confidence, and peace as you share.
- What is my motivation? Why do I want to share this story?
- Who is this story meant to encourage?
- What is the main takeaway or Biblical truth that God wants me to share?
- Is this story mine to share? Do I need to ask permission of others involved, leave out names, or change the level of detail that I share? Remember, the main story is less about the details of what happened and more about the power of Jesus at work in your life.
Telling your story might feel like a daunting process, and while there is deep spiritual work that we all need to do as we grow in our faith, telling about what God has done in our lives does not have to be complicated.
Throughout the rest of Psalm 107, we see several stories of God’s redeeming power told simply, but powerfully. There are elements that are repeated that we can use as a template to share our stories as well:
- There was hardship and trouble
- The people cried out to God for help.
- God stepped in to rescue them from their distress
- They glorified God with their gratitude and praise.
We can simply and effectively tell our story just by sharing what life was like before and after Jesus stepped into our story. There is tremendous power in the simple message of Jesus Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth saying, “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Paul reminds us that our story is not about being fearless, eloquent, or having an elaborate set-up and delivery. It’s about boldly sharing what the Lord has done in our lives, so that others will know God and have faith in Him. It is God’s power that goes before us when we share our story.
Our story is folded into God’s greater story of redemption and love. As each chapter of our lives unfolds, God is powerfully present, alive and active, wasting nothing and working all things for the good of those who love Him. He pulls us out of the darkness and calls us into the light. May our stories be radiant beacons of hope to the world around us, pointing to the unfailing love of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the victory we have in Him.
