What’s Your Story?

everyone has a story to tell

Stories are a part of what it means to be human. They are vessels of entertainment, information, history, human culture, and beliefs. Stories bond us together, but we each also have our own stories that make us each unique. There was a time in my life when I was so nervous and anxious around others because I didn’t know what to say or what they would think about me. Eventually, I came to realize that people were just as nervous as I was. One strategy I used to overcome some of my nervousness was to ask the simple question, “what’s your story?”. Everyone has one. And we all like to tell our story to others. Ultimately, it got me off the hook and gave others the opportunity to tell their story. It was an easy way to get to know other people.

But there is one story that is better than all others. That is God’s story. The Bible is the Story of all stories. The Bible is the story of God creating time, space, and matter, and the crown jewel of all creation is man, who He created in His image and likeness.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”—Genesis ‭1:26-27‬

But things quickly went wrong when Adam and Eve went their own way, and there sin entered all creation. The sin curse, the disobedience to God, has broken all creation since this great fall. But all the while God had planned on redeeming His crown jewel, mankind. By entering into His creation, God, the creator of the heavens and earth and everything in the universe, came into time and space in the flesh in the form of Jesus Christ.

“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” ‭‭—Colossians‬ ‭1:15-17, 19-20‬

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” ‭‭—Hebrews‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭

This Jesus came to save us, anyone who would put their faith in Him. He made us children of God once again by His perfect life, His atoning death, and is triumphant resurrection when we place our faith in Him. He broke sin and death. He invites us back into the Greatest Story. Our personal stories can be grafted back into the Greatest Story through Jesus. Our names can be forever written into the Book of Life.

And it is here, reader, where I want to ask you if you have accepted God’s invitation. God made all things. We are His creatures and a part of His creation, and we are ultimately accountable to God. We have all sinned and are condemned to eternal death. But God came down to earth to rescue and ransom us from sin and death through Jesus and give us eternal life, if we accept this by turning from our sin and placing our faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ, and not our own works or efforts to make us right with God.

For those that have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ, there is hope for you yet. Just like the Father in the story of the prodigal son, God is always willing and waiting for you with open arms. Nothing in this world will satisfy our desires, no amount of money, success, relationships, nor anything else will do, but God. No matter how far you have run, all it takes is one step in the opposite direction to turn and repent from your sin and to place your faith in Christ and be reconciled to God and man. If you’ve never done that, I invite you to do so today, right now.

For those that have accepted this invitation, we are God’s children forever.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” —John 1:12

How did God do that for you? Do you recall your own story, and thank Him for His amazing grace often for bringing you from spiritual and eternal death to life? What’s your story?