The time has finally arrived for you to share your story! You have put in the time to reflect, pray, write out, and hone your story. Now it’s time to try it out. The good news is that we’re all in this together. You are surrounded by a community of women who are also beginning the process of sharing how God has redeemed their stories. You are not alone!
As you begin to share, keep a few things in mind. First, pray for God to impress upon you the name of a person with whom you should share. Ask Him to give you wisdom. Who in your life needs to hear your story, maybe for the first time? Who needs to know about Jesus? Who needs to be encouraged by a testimony of God’s goodness to you? Pray for God to make it clear who your one person is. Second, trust the Holy Spirit to lead your time with this person. Be flexible enough to go off script if He leads you to do so. Be open to the work He might be doing in the person who listens to you. Be available to answer questions, to listen, and to share truth with your listener. You never know what God might be up to!
Third, equip yourself with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). Every time we testify about the person of Jesus, our archenemy, Satan, is ready to attack (1 Peter 5:8). We need not fear him because the Lord, in His faithfulness, “will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). But we do need to be aware of his schemes, to strengthen ourselves with spiritual battle gear, and to be prepared to encounter his opposition in our storytelling.
Finally, have fun! There is something so compelling to an unbelieving world when we present our stories—messy, broken, difficult as they may be—while still maintaining joy. An incredible description of what it is to have joy in God is found in Habakkuk 3. During a season of great difficulty for the prophet, Habakkuk said this: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17–18). As you share your story, let the Holy Spirit fill you with the joy that comes from knowing God. And let that joy spill over into your storytelling!
After you’ve shared, schedule a time to debrief, maybe with a friend or maybe just with God. Ask yourself questions like these:
• How comfortable did I feel sharing?
• Did I manage to tell my story in about three minutes?
• How did my friend react to my story?
• Were there any areas that could be improved?
• Was I vulnerable enough about areas in my life where I struggled before Christ and/or how I struggle now?
• Did I give specific examples of how my life has changed since I trusted Jesus?
• Who can I share with next?
If we could speak to you from out of the pages of this study, we’d shout, “Well done!” Regardless of your delivery, regardless of the outcome, you put words to the work of God in your story and shared that with someone who needs to know! You shared your story as part of the grand story that God has been weaving throughout all of history. Thanks for stepping out in faith. We cannot wait to hear how God will continue to use you as you share your story.