Everyone has a story.

Yesterday my husband and I drove to Jacksonville, FLA from our home near Charlotte, NC. We hit our destination about 2pm and were back on the road, headed for home only 45 minutes later! So, needless to say it was a long, long day. Thirteen hours in the car makes for one weary blogger. :-)
However, I had to share a story I heard along the way on my favorite radio show... This American Life.

A group of about nine reporters decided to spend a couple of days camped out at a travel plaza (rest stop) in northern New York. While there, they interviewed the many people stopping in on their way to where ever it was they were headed. The stories were colorful and varied. There was a nine year old boy on his way to fish with his father, sustaining a family tradition that dated back to his great great grandfather. Then there was the man who was returning his son to his mother after summer vacation... he offered the following valuable advice: "Never take your new girlfriend with you to pick up your kid at your ex-girlfriend's house". He qualified his advice with bruises on his back. We should all probably write that one down (lol!). And even more strange, was the chain smoking pilates instructor who drove an old yellow school bus. At 3am, he took a mat out and commenced with stretching and singing. Weird stuff.

However, in the middle of the eccentricity there was a story that spoke to me. One of the reporters happened upon a couple who had been together nearly 30 years. They seemed beyond happy and even agreed to let this journalist ride with them for a bit! Once in the car he recorded joyful banter between the couple... the kind of verbal dance that is perfected only by years of practice. Everything seemed great until the journalist asked a question about the woman's parents. Almost immediately, a story of abandonment and rejection spilled out. This woman, who only moments ago had been the life of the party, was now struggling to speak through her tears. One question brought deep brokenness to the surface.

I rode the rest of the way home thinking of the woman's tragic story. Realizing, most of us have a story that can take us to tears at a moments notice. If you have breath you have hurt. The amount and severity varies, but nonetheless it is there.

For a long time I hid my story. I was ashamed and couldn't see how God could use my pain for purpose. My past held me hostage. And the more I learn about others, the more I see I am not alone in this. We all have something, some pain, some story that has shaped us in an undeniable way.

Everyone has a story.

The woman at the well had a story too. In John 4:1-30 we read about a Samaritan woman who was visiting the well. Upon meeting Jesus her story is revealed. After some back and forth, He tells her she has had five husbands and the man she is with now is not her husband! At this point, she could have walked away in shame. But instead, she stays. She continues the conversation, drinking in Jesus and then runs back to town asking others to come meet Him with her.

"Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" They came out of the town and made their way toward him. John 4:28-30 NIV

I think she got it... this woman no longer cared about the water in the well. Leaving the jug behind, she pointed others to the living water, to Jesus. Her story, became God's story.

God calls us to the same. In pain and in joy, we should point others to Him with our entire life. ENTIRE LIFE. Your story, as painful as it may be, needs to be purposed. It needs to point to God. We can't hide behind shame, fear or regret any longer.

The gift of Jesus on the cross demands a response. But, what sort of response is defeat? When we hide our stories, for whatever reason, we in a way accept defeat. Trust me, you don't want to settle for this.

God has so much more for you. When I finally let go, He opened a world of healing for me. My past and the pain in it, no longer owns me. God directs it for His good and His glory.

Make your story GOD'S STORY... and take joy in the gift of seeing purpose played out.