Your Story Matters…Really

The world moves by stories. For thousands of years, we have been taught the traditions of our cultures through stories of those who have gone before us. We are moved, compelled, and entertained by stories. Aesop shared fables, short stories with poignant lessons. Shakespeare shared theatrical sagas with thick plots and unexpected twists. The Israelites held tightly wandering through the wilderness of the history of how they were created as a people and how they were rescued from the bondage of slavery, helping them to keep to a glimmer of hope. Today, more than ever, storytelling has become an art form. As an art form, it’s a skill, a craft even, and deserves attention to development as any other art form.

Ever evolving. Your story is not just a one-time occurrence. When you sit down to read a novel, you expect there to be an introduction of characters, some setting, a plotline that leads into a climatic event. And then it wraps up into a neat ending, tied up with a pretty bow. But when the book ends, the story still goes on. What becomes of the happily ever after? The same is true of your story. Your story builds layer upon layer, leading from one plotline to the next. Keeping up with your story's progression and knowing your story's ins and outs will allow you to be more comfortable in sharing your story.

Contributes to your identity. I am quite vocal about my personal struggle with identity over the years. I wear it plainly because it is a part of who I am and my story. But it wasn't until I started writing my story that I could discover who I was. What I found when I uncovered one part of my story led me to other questions and curiosities in other areas of my life. This led to complex tales woven together to create stories of depth. In that depth, I have found my own depth and my own giftings and struggles. I can fully identify who I am.

Encourages others. This is the most important of all. Other people need YOUR story. This is why it is so important to know your story…so you can share your story. When we share our stories with others, it can encourage them in their struggle and let them know they are not alone. Personally, I experienced tremendous freedom when I heard the struggles of others, not to rejoice in their suffering, rather because it provided comfort knowing I was not in the struggle alone. We have all been on the struggle bus at some point. It’s nice to know we are riding together with others.

Have I piqued your interest enough to know your own story yet? Grab a notebook and try some of these ideas about how to work through your own story:

Know your history. Draw a line across your paper. At the beginning of the line is when you gasped your first breath of air - your birth. The end of the line is today. All the space in between is your history. Start writing down objective occurrences. These might be moves, transitions to new schools, or the birth or death of family members. Then write down the emotions evoked in you from these occurrences. History is more than just what happened. It’s about how it left you feeling.

Life-changing moments. Recognizing pivotal points in your life is the very climax of your own story. Sometimes these climactic points have dramatic pits or difficult climbs up the mountain. Other times these climactic moments are decisions that have been made that feel rather anti-climactic. While these life-changing moments might be linked to a moment in your history, this moment is most clearly defined by the decision to have your life move in a different direction than it already was.

After effects. This is the description of how you have experienced change after life-changing moments. How has your life changed? What driving motivations impact your decisions now because of these moments? How did your life go in a different direction? Where are you headed now as a result?

Once you have all of these pieces laid out, start to write out the story so that it is a fluid tale. As you continue to write your story, you will find one part that may lead to an awakening of feelings and uncovered memories you may need to confront. You may find that some parts are maybe not as relevant to your whole story. With time and practice, you will know what to share when talking to your audience. What pieces matter to share, and what pieces don't. You can only have that discernment if you know your full story to begin with.

I’ll leave you with one final thought. Your story - your testimony - is ever-evolving, changing, shaping, and morphing. We go through our lives constantly evolving and experiencing new things. These new things cause us to regularly come to terms with new history, new life-changing moments, and new after-effects. Never stop being in touch with your story, for it is the very basis of who you are and how we band together. It is our very legacy for the ones after us.

Life-changing moments. Recognizing pivotal points in your life is the very climax of your own story. Sometimes these climactic points have dramatic pits or difficult climbs up the mountain. Other times these climactic moments are decisions that have been made that feel rather anti-climactic. While these life-changing moments might be linked to a moment in your history, this moment is most clearly defined by the decision to have your life move in a different direction than it already was.

After effects. This is the description of how you have experienced change after life-changing moments. How has your life changed? What driving motivations impact your decisions now because of these moments? How did your life go in a different direction? Where are you headed now as a result?

Once you have all of these pieces laid out, start to write out the story so that it is a fluid tale. As you continue to write your story, you will find one part that may lead to an awakening of feelings and uncovered memories you may need to confront. You may find that some parts are maybe not as relevant to your whole story. With time and practice, you will know what to share when talking to your audience. What pieces matter to share, and what pieces don't. You can only have that discernment if you know your full story to begin with.

I’ll leave you with one final thought. Your story - your testimony - is ever-evolving, changing, shaping, and morphing. We go through our lives constantly evolving and experiencing new things. These new things cause us to regularly come to terms with new history, new life-changing moments, and new after-effects. Never stop being in touch with your story, for it is the very basis of who you are and how we band together. It is our very legacy for the ones after us.

What is your takeaway today in the context of your own story?

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