RELATED ARTICLE: How To Start A Blog in 5 Easy Steps
Have you ever thought to yourself why your story matters?
Have you ever wondered why you had to be the one to experience the pain or loss or fight you endured?
Have you ever wondered where your story fits in this world?
Have you ever wondered if your story is worth sharing?
Have you ever thought someone else has been through worse…or not as worse? (As if this is what defines what makes a story worth sharing…it’s not!)
I am passionate about sharing my story, which is why I created this blog and wrote my book. I have had the opportunity to share my story…but more importantly I have had the opportunity to share God’s story and how He has impacted my life.
Sharing the pain, the good, the ugly…all of it, no matter what the dose, leaves me feeling extremely vulnerable. It is as if I have literally opened up my heart so that you can take a peek inside. It is by no means a comfortable experience, but my hope is that sharing what God has done in my life will turn other’s hearts to trust in Him too.
Even though I have been sharing my story for 5 years now, I still get bombarded with negative thoughts. I have, even recently, thought about the purpose of sharing my story, confronted with thoughts that challenged me in great ways.
I began reading Evidence Not Seen: A Woman’s Miraculous Faith In The Jungles Of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose. The introduction is a brief synopsis of this woman’s life overseas, and reading it made my jaw hit the floor. Darlene, a newlywed American missionary, survived four years in a notorious Japanese prison camp in New Guinea.
Here was my train of thought after finishing the introduction…
I can’t believe people face such excruciating things in life. This makes my story look like a cake walk. Should I even bother sharing my story? I feel silly thinking about how I wrote in my book of the pain I encountered in my marriage and how weak I was, when this woman lost so much and spent 4 dreadful years in a foreign prison where she witnessed death and other horrid things.
For a split second, I was literally embarrassed that I shared the pain of my marriage in a book. It seemed like I was just complaining in my book in comparison to what this other author shared in hers. Then I took a deep breath and felt like God put His hand on my shoulder to comfort me and said,
Jennifer, these stories, your story, they all matter because they reveal what I have done.”
Whoa!
I couldn’t argue that! God is the point of these stories. He is revealed and He is glorified through them. And these stories have different purposes, they minister to others in different ways and at different times of life.
I hate it when some of the thoughts I dwell on rest on the basis of comparison. That is the reason I am writing this post today.
It is terrible that people go through insanely difficult experiences in life and my heart breaks for them. However, just because our stories are different, doesn’t mean that they are not worth sharing. We must keep in mind that the purpose in us sharing our stories is so that the Lord can use them to reveal Himself to others.
Every story is significant.
And stories are shared in many different ways, whether through a book, a blog, or word of mouth with a friend, loved one, or even stranger.
We should never let comparison hinder us from sharing our stories. We should never entertain thoughts that doubt the purposes God has for us.
Our stories are powerful.
People who receive your story may not connect or relate to all of it, but somewhere in there, God will use it to speak to another person’s soul in a profound way…a way we could never artificially manipulate or create no matter how hard we try. I believe the Holy Spirit is at work within our stories. Not only do our stories retell what God has done, but they open up the door to allow God to continue doing even more!
I hope you do not wrestle with hiding your story because of thoughts that rest on the basis of comparison. And if you do, I hope this article sheds light on this for you and empowers you to share your story…God’s story of what He has done or is doing in your life!
Every one’s story matters, because it is theirs and it is God’s – even if our stories reveal different types of suffering, different types of deep pain and brokenness, things that someone else may not fully understand – every story matters, significantly.
I also want to challenge each one of us to never judge someone based upon their story. Do not give the enemy room in your mind to tempt you to think ill thoughts of another for sharing their story. Just don’t. Instead, thank them for having the courage to open their heart up in such a vulnerable way and praise God for all that He is doing.
By the way, Darlene narrates her story in a very beautiful way in Evidence Not Seen, get it HERE. Every sentence was thought through carefully as she pairs words together to describe her experience with rich detail. I recommend it! And if you want to read my story you can get it HERE.
Lastly, for anyone who feels the urge to tell their story to the world through an online blog I hope this article helps you: How To Start A Blog in 5 Easy Steps.