Story Time

 

We all have a story to tell. So why do we so often let the opportunity go by to share our struggle with someone else? Fear of rejection, pride, low self esteem, selfishness, and apathy all top the long list of possible reasons. I never told my story. In fact, I didn't think I had a story. Alot of people feel the same way. "I have no life experience, nothing crazy has ever happened to me. I feel inferior to people who have life-altering stories." Cool things happen to people, just as often as bad things do. I believe that it is up to us to make our stories worth telling.

 

Before I go too far, I do think there is a difference between a story worth telling and a story that isn't. I argue, however, that that difference is you. Emily and I spent four years battling infertility, but we weren't alone. Many couples face the exact same issue daily, some for even far longer than we. One of the most prevalent issues that I see college kids face is dealing with parents who get divorced. Many broken homes, broken hearts and broken stories. Some kids come out on one side of divorce with anger, resentment and an "I’ll-show-them attitude." Others come out confused, lonely, feeling unloved and not sure how to cope. Similar situation, completely different story.

 

This is where the true story is told. "Life happened, but then..." Some of the greatest stories are the ones we hear on primetime news specials or that go viral on the internet. Stories like the surfer girl who lost her arm but continues to surf and smile now. A family who lost everything in a natural disaster but the community rallied around them and provided them with a new life. These are stories of determination, of love, of overcoming. Think about if all of these stories had just stopped with "Life Happened." The point I am attempting to make is that life happens to us all; some good, some bad. It is up to us to help finish the story.

 

We are all created unique but not exclusive. We are all different but all have the same basic outline: birth, life, death. I heard someone speak once about the "dash." Asking, "what will your dash be?" The dash was a reference to the dash that goes on our gravestone in between our first day of life and our last. We may not all be born into the same set of circumstances, but we all have the ability to do the best with what we have. That is your story. How will you contribute to the lives of the people around you in your short time on this earth?

 

As humans, we are born ignorant and most of us have a really hard time shaking that as we get older. When life happens, many times we try to toughen up and handle it ourselves. I know from personal experience that this strategy leads to a terrible story. It wasn't until I realized that to make my story worth telling, I couldn't make it about me. That's our choice. The good and the bad in our lives can all help someone. I truly believe that we go through things in this life sometimes not to benefit us at all, but for someone else. It is up to us to share our experiences, struggles, concerns, and thoughts so that when others face those same times, they have hope and encouragement.

 

God gives us life and He gives us opportunities.  He also gives us free will to either realize that He is in control of our "dash" or remain ignorant. Your choice.