Our hope in writing out our stories is to bring glory to our Savior, Jesus. Today we’re looking at our story through the first theme of our story in relation to God: fallen. The prerequisite to being saved is acknowledging we need a Savior. We have to admit that we are broken, fallen people.
As Christians, it can sometimes be easier to agree with this in an intellectual way. We can all nod our heads when the pastor explains that no one is perfect, including us. But it is humbling to name our sin. Writing it out takes a theological idea and makes it personal. The purpose of this is not to feel shame. (Remember, if you have placed your faith in Christ, you are fully and completely forgiven.) The purpose is to acknowledge that without Christ, we are utterly lost. If we’re going to share our story with someone else, we want to start with the understanding that we did not save ourselves.
Now is the time to decide if you want share how you initially came to faith in Christ as the beginning of your story, or as a later chapter in your walk with God. If you came to faith as a young child, consider starting your testimony with a different season of life. Was there a time when you came to understand your faith in a deeper way as a teenager or an adult? Was there a season where you didn’t walk as closely with the Lord? These can be helpful starting points if you came to faith very early in life.
To help figure out where to begin, ask yourself:
What was my life like that will relate most to the non-Christian?
In sharing our stories, we want to begin at a place where the listener will easily be able to connect with us.
Next, we want to identify the hurdle in our lives. For many, this is what we sought our hope in before we found our identity in Christ. It may have been a relationship or an accomplishment. Perhaps we were consumed with achievement or material gain.
For others, this part of your story may be something that either threatened to pull you away from Christ or shook your faith in Him. It may have been an unexpected heartache or challenge. It may have been an illness or family tragedy.
Ask yourself, at this point in my story:
What did my life revolve around the most? What did I get my security or happiness from? Or, what challenge or struggle lay before me that threatened to pull me away from the Lord?
We’ve all faced situations, either before we came to faith or during our relationship with the Lord, where we looked for hope and answers to our problems apart from Him. Ultimately, this always fails.
Continue to reflect on how this came to pass for you. Ask yourself:
How did those areas begin to let me down? Or, how did that experience threaten my faith?
For some, this section of the story can be the hardest to write down. But it’s critically important to acknowledge our need before explaining what Christ has done.
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