tell your story

The sky is cloudy and overcast, and the tiny droplets of rain that hit the windshield seem to be a promise that Spring is, in fact, on it's way. The temperatures rise and fall by the day, never seeming to be content to stay consistent. It's not difficult to realize that this is definitely not Africa. Yet it's beautiful in it's own unique way. Some days it's hard to believe that it has already been over two months since I arrived back in the States and was welcomed home by frigid wind chills and snow dusted cornfields. I was also warmly welcomed by my amazing family and friends, whom I missed dearly. You don't realize just how much certain people mean to you until you are separated from them for a long period of time. I can testify that the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder", is, in fact, quite accurate.

God taught me so much while I was overseas, and yet I know that I will never be done learning and growing. True, it seems as if my time there was a sort of greenhouse experience in which everything was perfectly regulated for growth to happen. But I realize that even once plants have been transplanted to the garden, where they are at the mercy of the ever changing weather, they continue to grow and, if cared for properly, thrive. Growth is not a one time event - it's a continual and necessary process if we want to go deeper in our relationship with the Lord. There have been many little lessons that I've learned (or perhaps re-learned) since arriving back in the States, and I could launch into a long list of the things God has taught me. But one of the very important lessons that has come up since setting foot on good ol' American soil can be summed up in three simple words: Tell your story.

The hardest thing about this is that, well, it's hard. As you can probably guess, a lot happened during the five months that I spent in another continent. I saw beauty and pain. Hope and desperation. So many vivid memories are wrapped up into those months. There are times that I am tired of telling the same things over and over, or trying in vain to describe the indescribable experiences that I had in Africa. And the truth is, I'll never be able to fully capture it through words. Most of the time it would just be much easier to keep it to myself instead of making these inadequate attempts. But that is no excuse, because I have found that each time I share about it, it grows a little more real, a little more deeply rooted, in my own heart. I get asked questions that I had never thought to ask myself, which helps me to grow and process what I experienced. It can be hard, but it's worth it.

When I first got back, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of sharing stories for a number of different reasons. For one, speaking in front of people isn't top on the list of things I enjoy. And secondly, I didn't want to put myself in a spotlight by talking about my African adventures. But there was one important detail that changed my outlook on this whole process: It's not about me, and it never was about me in the first place. It's about God getting the glory He deserves for the amazing things He has done. It took a little while to digest that bit of info, because who likes to be confronted about the fact that it's not about them? It's not about me telling my stories about what I did. It's me telling about what God has done in me and through me. Telling of His power and His glory. It's about God. Putting it into that perspective gives it true purpose and meaning - and also gives me more motivation to share at every opportunity I get.

Stories come in all shapes and sizes, and in quite a selection of packagings. Chatting with a friend over a cup of coffee, writing them down in a journal, talking to a group of people, typing them out on your keyboard - the point of main importance is that they get out somehow. Over these past few months I have learned how vital it is for me to keep those memories fresh in my mind as I process all that I experienced. I know you have stories, that God has been at work in your life, and I want to encourage you to tell them - no matter how big or small they may seem. It will help you to help you process what you have learned and experienced, encourage those that you share it with, and give God glory for the wonderful things He has done.
I don't know what it is, but I do know that you've got a story. I've got a story. We've all got stories. 

Stories of God's goodness. Stories of hope. Stories of redemption. 
So go tell them.