When Christ Leads You To Share Your Story
Writer Author Alyice Edrich
Christian Article
:
Evangelism
- Fiction No
Have you ever opened your mouth and told a complete stranger something very personal, only to excuse yourself from the room to ask yourself, “What on earth did I tell her that for? She’s got to think I am a complete nut.” I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to me, and each time, I beat myself up over sounding so pathetic, only to later learn that my “story” helped heal someone else.
Once, I was sitting at my cousin’s kitchen counter and met her best-friend for the very first time. We did the normal impersonal chit-chat, when they asked how I was doing—since my daughter’s death. The next thing I knew, I was telling them about all the deep emotions I went through, all the “personal” thoughts that ran through my mind (which by the way made me sound like an utter basket-case), and how hard it was to see so many so-called friends disappear out of my life because they couldn’t handle the lashing I gave them due to my grief.
And inter-woven in this story, I shared all the little insights that God gave me to show me that He was still around; that He cared. I told them about the strangers that came up to my husband and I to tell us how our staying together and fighting for our marriage has helped them fight for their marriage, or the cards and letters from complete strangers who simply wanted to pray for us, or the women who came with food so that we didn’t have to prepare one single meal for an entire month. I left that visit feeling like a complete and utter fool. Why did I spill my guts so deeply? Weren’t they just asking out of courtesy; and yet I shared so much depth!
Several weeks later, my cousin called to tell me how she deeply appreciated my sharing with them. She said that when I left, they continued to talk about how they just felt God speaking through me to them and how much of a difference it made in their lives.
Another time, I met a woman at a Christian Women’s Writing Conference. She spoke about how hard it was on her family with the downward spiral of the economy and I felt led to tell her about my life. I told her how I grew up in the projects; how my husband and I worked our way up to a $90,000 a year career; and how we gave it all up to move back east—so he could return to college. I then told her about my personal issues with money. I told her how even when we had $90K a year, I would stress over our finances constantly looking at our bills of the month sheet to see what we paid off, what was left to pay, and how much money I could estimate as “blowing” money.
Then I told her how we gave up that great job and in our innocence, thought that our living standards would remain the same if we moved back east; where the cost of living was less. But due to many unforeseen incidents, we had to move three states within a seven month period. In the first state, the home we rented fell through and we couldn’t find another place to rent. In the second state, the transfer of the college scholarship fell through, my husband was declared legally dead, and we could only find a job paying $5 per hour, a far cry from the $26 an hour, plus overtime he was used to. And in the third state (in which we presently reside), all three job offers fell through and we spent three months out of work only to find a great job, be laid off, and spend nearly seven months out of work. Talk about stress!
Yet, I didn’t once obsess about looking at our monthly bill sheet. Truth be told, I didn’t dare look for fear the depression and stress I was feeling would intensify to a point that I couldn’t move forward. I told her that “I didn’t know how my bills were being paid, how food was being put on the table, or how we were able to keep a roof over our heads. I refused to over analyze the situation. I knew we were doing our best, and I knew God was providing for us. For once in my life, I was released of my obsession with worrying about how we’ll meet our monthly bills.”
After I finished my story, I excused myself and went to the restroom where I looked in the mirror and thought, “Alyice, what on earth was that all about? Why did you spend an hour talking about you? Where did that come from? Oh well, it’s too late to do anything about it now. Go back in there and don’t utter another word!”
A few weeks later, I received a letter from this woman who thanked me for sharing my story. She said that she had a problem with constantly looking at her bills not once a week, or even once a month, but several times a day. She said her issues with money put a lot of stress on her marriage and that sharing my story was a blessing. She said that it gave her new insight and a new direction. (She’ll never know how much of a comfort those words were to me.)
All this to say: When God leads you to share your story, don’t hide your testimony under a bushel, let it shine brightly to be seen and heard by the ones God intended; for you never know when your story will lead a person to Christ, heal a broken heart, or set a captive free.
I could have very well quoted scripture, such as Philippians 3:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.” But sometimes, what God has done in our lives can speak multitudes over a scripture that may be taken as preaching and not compassion or understanding. God knows when scriptures will heal and he knows when your story will heal; and he’ll lead you to choose the correct display of his affection every time!
You don’t have to be a speaker, someone famous, a leader in your church, or even an outgoing person to influence the life of another in a positive light. You simply need to open your heart, set aside your fear, and allow God to work through you; through your words, and/or your actions.
First Featured on WorthFindng 2/11/2004
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About the Writer Author
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South Dakota
Country:
United States
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dabblingmum@yahoo.com
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