After twelve years teaching high school English in a small private school, I found myself burned out and praying for a change. When every door I tried to walk through was very definitely closed (sometimes slammed shut), I surrendered to the Lord and stayed until He was ready to move me.
Five years later one of the pastors from church told me they were looking for someone to edit PowerPoint slides used in Sunday services. Though I’d sung in the choir and been part of Worship Ministries for several years, I wondered why they asked me to take on this responsibility. I was busy with school and other volunteer opportunities. Yet it wasn’t long before I was going to the church two afternoons every week to fill this role.
To my surprise, after a challenging day in the classroom, I began to anticipate the interaction with my friends at church and described this as a breath of fresh air in my stressful routine.
Fast forward two years. I moved into an administrative role at school with added responsibilities. My busy schedule was suddenly unmanageable, and something had to change. I prayed, waiting for the Lord to tell me to stop leading Bible study or take a break from choir. I did not expect Him to say, “Give up working on the PowerPoint slides at church.”
Sadly, I wrestled with His answer for two weeks, trying to convince myself I didn’t hear Him correctly or that I could find some other way out of my dilemma.
One day I heard a well-known Bible teacher tell her personal experience of praying about a new ministry. For a number of years, she had been teaching a Sunday school class at her church; the group had grown and she thoroughly enjoyed leading them. Then one day the Lord’s voice spoke clearly that she was to resign her position as teacher of the class. She didn’t understand, but knew she must be obedient. And when she resigned, the doors of the new ministry flew open.
Her story resonated with me. Though I was not praying about a new ministry, I knew I had been disobedient when the Lord’s direction had been clear. To my surprise, after I gave up PowerPoint, the church offered me a newly-created full-time position as staff writer.
So often someone’s story of faith has encouraged me in my walk with Christ. Praying, trusting in God for provision, walking in obedience when it was tempting to take the easier path.
If it were not for crises in life, we would never know that God answers prayers. He met our greatest need by sending Jesus to die for our sins; and He continues to demonstrate His love and care for His children in the day-to-day events of this life.
There was a time when we regularly paused in church services to hear people’s testimonies. I listened to saints who stood and give thanks to the Lord for miracles, some great and some small. (Truly, aren’t all miracles great? That’s what makes them miraculous!) Some recalled past lives of sin when Jesus rescued them from the pit of despair and gave them new songs to sing.
There is something about a story – especially if it’s true. When one person tells how he or she made it through a difficult experience. In particular, one person tells another what his or her life was and what it is now, and the difference it makes to be following Christ.
Scripture is filled with storytelling. Imagine those who crossed the Red Sea on dry land when they feared being overtaken by the Egyptian enemies; or the widow of Zarephath who used the last of her flour and oil to make food for Elijah, then never to run out of flour and oil again; or Naaman who came up out of the water for the seventh time to see his leprous flesh made clean.
Those who encountered Jesus were quick to tell of their experiences: physical infirmities miraculously healed, even the dead brought back to life.
I think it would be interesting to hear the story of the Samaritan woman as she convinced her friends and neighbors to come and see this Man who knew all about her though they had never met and how her life would never be the same; or the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was instantly healed of an illness that left her suffering for 12 long years.
Think about the people in Jerusalem who heard the apostles speaking in various languages on the Day of Pentecost. Those who once hid in fear following Jesus’ death and resurrection were now boldly praising God. Or what would it have been like to be in Ephesus when people believed and began to confess their sins, so “many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all” (Acts 19:19).
What miraculous stories that cause the listeners to pause and consider and wonder and think about their own circumstances. Paul did not hesitate to share his own conversion experience when He met Christ on the Road to Damascus. Though it must have been difficult to recall how he once had lived – wrongfully persecuting the church. Yet he willingly shared his experience in hopes of persuading others to follow Christ.
I wonder how many saints in my local church have wonderful stories of faith to share, but we’ve never heard them. One thing about stories – they often require us to be vulnerable, to relate to someone our shortcomings or failures, our times of need. We may try to give the impression everything is fine and we’ve faithfully followed Christ for years; yet if people only knew our conversion stories, when if God had not been present in our crises, who knows what outcome we might have experienced.
Stories shared among believers in Christ is one way to help younger brothers or sisters to grow in their faith. The accounts of an older, wiser Christian may be what is needed to encourage one who is weaker or afraid to trust in God, to strengthen his or her worldview, seeking the Bible for more promises, more warnings, more instructions, more answers.
And, as is often the case, the one who shares the story is again encouraged, remembering what it was like to be in great need when God, the great Creator took time to reach out and minister as no one else could.
My position at the church eventually ended and what followed was an unexpected adventure that continues today…but that’s another story.
So let me ask you, what’s your story?