Our stories have so much power. I know for me personally, I have been through so much in my somewhat short lifetime. I am a firm believer that our present mindsets are somewhat influenced by our past and circumstances that have happened to us. What I would like to encourage us all with, is that, our stories, no matter how shameful they seem, have tremendous power in our lives and the lives of others.
Over my life, I have always known about God. I always was surrounded by Christianity, especially from my family. Probably like you’ve heard from other people, I ventured off from the faith, especially during my early college years. Long story short, I got into a relationship that wasn’t what I should have been in, and eventually resulted in serious heartbreak. I was severely depressed for close to two years. I questioned God every day. I asked, “God if you love me so much like I’ve learned, why did you let this happen”. Over time, I really began to heal, but even to this day, some of the ways I act is because of what happened in my past.
I say all of that to say this: being honest about our stories have two major benefits: 1.) it helps us to heal by talking about it and learning how to deal with it. 2.) it helps us to see how we can improve for the future. Sometimes it seems like our stories don’t mean much except the hurt we went through. But I dare challenge that to say that our stories of pain and deliverance could very well help someone else get through what they are dealing with.
When we talk about our stories, it helps so much. Being open and transparent does so much for not only you, but for other people because it shows them that they aren’t alone, and it shows that you can be trusted to help that person open up. When we do this, our lives and stories of hurt become someone else’s stories of purpose, redemption, and strength. I challenge us all, including myself, to really dig into being open about our stories and learn about the Power with them.
