The Real Truth About Your Story: 3 Things You Want to Know

For years I thought my story was mine. It was mine to plan, mine to live, mine to tell about.

And I treated it as such.

Yet although my plan looked great in my mind and on paper, it didn’t play out the way I intended. Not at all.

My story took on far too much drama, generated a great deal of sadness, and read nothing like I had scripted. At the time … in the midst … I wanted to rewrite it.

To have it read more like a love story or even comedy.

To insert more happy endings.

To insist on being its only author.

Yet as I struggled to live this script that’s been handed to me, I realized a few things about my story:

1. It isn’t really my story at all. My story belongs to Another who has infinite knowledge, infinite love, and infinite power. 
2. My story’s purpose is much greater than me. 
3. My story is worth telling. 

Your Story

These are truths for your story as well:

• The Lord writes each of our scripts to ultimately bring us goodness and Himself glory. Your story won’t always be the one you want, but it’s the one God’s written just for you. And it’s good! [←Tweet this.]
• If your story is really God’s story, then it has a specific purpose in a bigger story. And each part, each chapter, each scene of a story matters. 
• Your story, whatever it may look like, is worth living and worth telling because it offers hope to the hopeless. It builds bridges and makes connections. It presents grace to those who are mired in the muck of sin and brokenness. It points to something beyond the troubles of this day. 

My Story, His Story

Through the drama, the sadness, and the unexpected detours, I’ve learned how to enjoy this different story–this story that’s been given to me to steward well.

It’s a script God drafted just for me that, in the end, holds far more joy than any love story or comedy I could have written.

It’s a story that, although often hard, is guaranteed to have a happy ending.

It’s a story that, through the grace found in those painful moments, offers the most growth for me, the most impact to others, and ultimately, the most glory to God.

My story … it’s really God’s story.

But it’s one I’m privileged to live out.  

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe
and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.” Psalm 107:1-3

Reflections: Have you recognized the real Author of your story? What scenes in your story point to Him? Where is the grace in the story you’re living out? 

I’m thrilled to link up with Holley Gerth for Coffee for Your Heart on Wednesday and Suzie Eller for #livefree Thursday and this week’s prompt, “My story is….” I love these special linkups. They provide an abundance of great inspiration and encouragement all in one place. Click on the images below to check them out.  

By His grace ≈

Julie