Your Story Matters. Because You Matter.
“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.” — Psalm 107:2 (NIV)
Every life tells a story. Stories matter, because we matter. Our stories are made of moments of great joy and heart-crushing sorrow, beautiful memories and haunting experiences. We have our moments on the mountaintop of achievement and in the dark valley of disappointment and loss. There are times we would dearly love to live again and regrets and pain we would rather forget.
Not every life has the same amount or intensity of the highs and lows, but most of our stories have a little of both and a lot of “middle-of-the-road”. While every moment and experience shapes who we believe we are, it seems to be those high-highs and low-lows that make the most impact. Those chapters are the ones that we are eager to read again or wish we could rewrite or erase.
Can you think of times in your life when you clearly recognized God’s hand at work and times when you wondered if He was there at all? I know I have.
I have come to believe that our stories matter to God, because we matter to God. He loves not only our beautiful stories where it got things “right” and had the happy ending. He cares about more than our testimonies of extraordinary miracles or our greatest achievements. God cares about the quiet stories, the middle-of-the-road pages, and the chapters that were the hardest and most bleak.
The story of someone who gets out of bed each morning despite carrying a burden no one else can see.
The story of a mother praying for her rebellious child.
The story of someone learning to trust again after being deeply wounded.
The person who has spent a lifetime wondering if their life matters.
The one who believes they have made too many mistakes to ever be loved.
A Beautiful Tapestry
I’ve often thought about how our lives resemble a tapestry. Each moment, each relationship, each decision, each joy and sorrow becomes a thread woven into the fabric of who we are. Some of those life-threads are bright and beautiful, mixed among those that are dark, tangled, or worn. When we get introspective and look at our lives, like the underside of a tapestry, we may not see anything but loose ends, knots, and chaos.
Glory be to God, He sees what we cannot. Our Father sees the WHOLE picture of his beloved creation! In His sovereign Hand, every single thread can become something restored, beautiful, and cherished!
We have all had parts of our life that have been decidedly “not good” and we’ve had those times that were unbearably painful. Most of us have experienced hurt and damage at the hand of another - things that should have never happened.
God’s grace and love are powerful and He wants to turn the knots and mess into a beautiful work of art! Our past does not have to determine our present, and certainly not our future. Through Jesus Christ, we are offered forgiveness, restoration, healing, and hope.
We Were Never Meant to Walk Alone
One of the most beautiful things about sharing our stories is discovering that we aren’t alone. Sometimes, when someone finds the courage to say, “This is what happened to me,” another person quietly whispers, “Me too.” When we learn to walk together, the burden becomes lighter and the shame melts away. We learn to grow in hope as the walls come down.
Perhaps that’s one reason Scripture encourages us to share what the Lord has done. Our stories can become gifts to one another. Those who have not yet experienced the goodness of God and the grace of Jesus deserve to know that none of us have lived perfectly and that was never a requirement to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
God is faithful even when there are questions left unanswered or doubt tries to creep in to our thoughts. God is faithful even when we are not. God is faithful because we are on a journey. Our story is still being written, and as we walk each other toward our heavenly Home, Jesus wants to walk with us.
Your Story Is Still Being Written
Like every human story in the Bible, from Adam and Eve to King David to the Apostle Paul, we are not defined by our worst moments. God does not forget us in our ordinary moments, or disqualify us because our story has been messy and filled with mistakes. None of us is too far “gone” to be out of the reach of Jesus.
Beloved, your life has meaning, your story is important and has value. Your story is still being written and my prayer is that you have beautiful chapters ahead, where God’s hand is present and the love of Jesus weaves threads of grace into your tapestry! I pray that you find healing where it is needed, relationships restored, and the sweet balm of forgiveness for yourself and others. As you continue your journey, I pray you will find the opportunities to share your story and that it brings the hope and salvation of Jesus into someone else’s life, too.
All glory to God and to my Lord Jesus Christ.
LGW Ministries • Threads of Grace