Growing up in an auto shop environment, there was a fairly hard and fast rule that was ingrained in my brain fairly early--borrow a tool once, no problem; need it twice? No problem. Need it again--go buy one. It was (and remains) a pretty good barometer for when a technician needs to know what tools he really needs, and to know when he's overstepping the friendly helpfulness of his coworkers.
Applying that same logic, it's time for me to talk about stories. In the last few weeks, reference to a person's "story" or testimony has been made several times around me, many tidbits have been shared, and as one captive audience on a long bus ride can attest--give me an audience, and I'll give you a story! The point is, when a topic continues to swirl around me in different contexts and places, it's probably time to talk about it!
What's the big deal with stories?
Are we looking for sympathy? Maybe. Are we proud and bragging? Maybe. Are we trying to relate? Maybe. Are we seeking help? Maybe.
If you read through some of this blog's posts, you'll find that I'm pretty adamant about the thought that when it comes to stories, none of us is all that special. Please understand, though, I make that statement in the context of us feeling sorry for ourselves when things suck; even more dangerous, for thinking that no one else has ever achieved the levels of failure and misery that we might be facing at any given moment. I use hard hitting statement as a bit of a reality check--for myself and others--because, as I was just reminded again yesterday, our stories are pretty similar.
My exact response when I was told that we all have a similar "story" is that brokenness is an immeasurably powerful equalizer. I think that's a pretty powerful statement, so I'd encourage you to re-read it. I'll stop short of calling it brilliant, because that's just being boastful...This equalizing power, I believe, is what makes sharing our stories with one another important.
Have you ever considered how remarkable it is that our military can take a group of kids from 18-25 or so years old, from virtually every walk of life, shove them together in a box of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual anguish that we call basic training, and inside of weeks, these kids would literally die for one another? There is an important common denominator when it comes to basic military training, and that is that everyone is equal (and at times some might say that everyone is equally worthless). This equalization regardless of race, religion, family income, education level, is one of the most powerful tools that our military has at its disposal. Quite different than brain washing or indoctrination, our young people are made powerful by the power of US instead of the power of ME.
Back to stories, I think that's what makes our stories important--sharing them is an incredible way of connecting at a very core human and spiritual level. On my recent trip to Ecuador, I was blessed to share stories with a number of different people from several age ranges, walks of life, and even people from a different culture who spoke a different language than me.
What I found was, at our core, I not only had way more in common with these people than I had previously thought, I found that we gave each other strength and hope in sharing, and our bond was strengthened incredibly in the desire to reach out with emotional and spiritual support for one another.
Most importantly, I found that sharing our stories shares the power, love, and authority of the God that we all share and serve. What better way to worship our Lord than to share stories of deliverance from seemingly unrecoverable circumstances and triumph over adversity? What better way to high-five God than to credit Him in the presence of others--believers or not--and let His light shine through us?
If you think you don't have a story, be careful. You might just need to dig a little deeper, and open up a bit. God might be trying to tell you to let Him work, and you're not getting the message. I was THAT guy. I actually, fairly regularly, said OUT LOUD, "I wish I had a story like xxxxx does. People just about have to listen when you have testimony that powerful." All the while, I believe God was gently knocking on my heart, and I wasn't listening....I was too hard headed and self righteous to listen to a soft voice, or heed a light course correction. I had to hit the bottom, dig another hole, and fall a few more times before I opened my heart and brain!
I ended up with one heckuva story. I tell people often, I don't relish how I got to where I am today, but I sure am glad to be here!
Spend some time listening to others. Be open. Be broken. Be humble. Be vulnerable. It makes us real and helps us all grow stronger together.
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