I want to tell you something about faith stories.
Some folks have dramatic conversion stories. You know the kind. They were terrible and their life was a mess. Bad things, obvious bad things. And then Jesus showed up and everything changed, fast and powerful.
Those are powerful testimonies.
But some of us don’t have those stories. I’m glad I don’t, actually. I was grateful when I realized that. Because the pain I was spared by knowing God my whole life, by not spending years and years broken and lost—that’s a gift. A huge gift.
And you know what? Some of our stories don’t make for dramatic telling. But they make for powerful testimony.
The thing is, we all have deep sin. We all need to turn from something. We all need to move into the grace of God and let him forgive us. It just doesn’t always look like a lightning bolt moment.
What I’m wondering is: what is your story? And who knows it? Do your children know it? Do your grandchildren? Do your friends?
Because here’s what I’m concerned about. And I’ve been concerned about this since I was a kid, which is probably why I’m a preacher. People don’t know God. And I don’t think it’s my job to be the one telling everybody about God. Different people are called to different parts of that message. But what I do know is that people will listen to you. They won’t listen to me. You have an impact you’ll never know about.
And I want that impact to be for God.
We need to tell our stories. We need to let people know where God has shown up in our lives. Not dramatically, maybe. But really. Because how else will people know that God is real? How else will they know that this faith matters? How else will they know it’s not all just church talk, but something that actually changes a life?
Your story matters. Tell it.
A reflection by Rev. MaryGean Cope