GodSprings - January 19, 2016

Have I Said My Story?

Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19 (NIV)

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” is often called the shortest complete story in English, supposedly written by Ernest Hemingway. It is only six words long but yet it contains elements of death, loss, brokenness, and a longing for peace.

God has given us all a story that speaks of how God came into our lives, how He changed our lives, and how He is currently working in our lives. Our story is a powerful bridge that gives us easy access into the lives of the people that God has placed in our world. While being in the villages of Jammu Mission Field I found that sharing the gospel can be an intimidating task at times, but sharing my story is a natural and stress-free way to talk about God with anyone, anytime.

In the gospel of Mark, chapter 5, we learn of one man’s startling story. Up until this point, this man’s story was dark and dismal. He was forced to live in a cemetery just outside of town because he was untamable, uncontrollable, and terrorized by an unclean spirit. His life was filled with such shame and despair that he would often resort to cutting himself in a twisted effort to feel anything. In pain, he was often heard in the nearby towns as his tormented soul caused him to cry out like a coyote, night after night.

But everything changed the moment he met Jesus. His demons were cast out, his sanity returned, and his soul, which had been supernaturally hijacked, was finally free. Full of amazement and appreciation for all that Jesus had just done, this man wanted to leave his home and travel with Jesus, but Jesus told him to stay and tell his story to anyone who would listen.

God wants to use your story and my story, too. He wants to use our experiences, what we have seen God do, how God has spoken into our life, and the ways in which He has changed our life so that other people will begin to see that God is real, that miracles happen, that prayer works, and that their lives can be transformed too.

God wants to use us just the way we are and our story just the way it is, because the story really is not about us anyway; the story is all about God and what God has done and is doing in our life. Can we take the time to think about our story and be ready when Jesus gives us an opportunity to share our story with someone.