Share Your Journey

Imagine sitting around a table or camp fire and sharing all the ways the Lord has led you and blessed you throughout your life while listening as others do the same. The little ways and the big ways. For example, when I was working at a preschool and I felt led to call Portland Christian School to ask if they were still considering opening a preschool, and it turns out they were in the process of doing that at that time. Or when we were looking for houses, and one house we saw gave me the most uncomfortable feeling for no earthly reason. I could not get out of there quick enough- the oppressive spirit in the house made me so uncomfortable. Or when Judy Webb walked in the grocery store where I was working at the time and told me about this handsome guy at church named Dan who loves the Lord. I have felt and seen the Lord working in my life in so many ways, and I know it is the same for my brothers and sisters at church. 

I asked a few friends from our congregation to briefly share how the Lord has worked in their lives, and this is what they chose to share. A mom was feeling isolated while staying home with her new baby, and the Lord blessed her with a friend to walk with at just the right time. A teenager going through a dark time was blessed with two friends to help strengthen her faith. A woman who lost her job after 24+ years was given another job before her previous job ended. We have seen relationships restored and cancer cured. We have seen loss, despair, frustration, loneliness, and anger changed to joy, forgiveness, and peace. 

We need to hear about how the Lord has worked in each other’s lives from the big miracles to the small nudges. We are encouraged to declare the works of the Lord through the generations. The Lord knows we gain encouragement from sharing our journey together. When we are in the pit, and a friend gets down beside us and says, “I’ve been here before. It’s terrible but let me tell you how the Lord helped me. Let me pray with you. Let me give you a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen.” That gives us the encouragement we need to keep going, to keep trusting. We get excited and humbled by seeing the Lord do miraculous things for those around us and we need to celebrate with them. 

We should be declaring these things. How encouraging is it to hear what the Lord has done in the life of another? How exhilarating is it to share what he has done for you. How has He made you whole after your world crumbled? How has He given you peace in the middle of a storm? How has He multiplied your blessings and overwhelmed you with joy? How has He taught you to live humbly in a world that screams, “You deserve it”? How has He turned your ashes to beauty? How has He gently guided your steps?

Share your story with others over coffee, or dinner, or in the parking lot after church. And not just people the same age as you. From the young teenager dealing with growing up in a world that questions their very identity, to the elderly person who feels they don’t have anyone left in this world. 

We need to hear how the Lord has blessed and guided you in your life of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90 years. We all have something to share because the Lord is with us from the beginning of life to the end. How has He guided your steps? Share your story because there is someone who needs to hear it. 

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! – Psalm 133:1

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. – Proverbs 16:9