”Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us” (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 The MSG

Your story has power in your own life, and it has power and meaning to bring to others. I want your story to stir me, draw me to tears, compel me to ask hard questions. I want to enter your heartache and join you in the hope of redemption. But your story can’t do these things if you can’t tell it. You can’t tell your story until you know it. And you can’t truly know it without owning your part in writing it. And you won’t write a really glorious story until you’ve wrestled with the Author who has already written long chapters of your life, many of them not to your liking.

“So, child of God, your privilege is showing. But if you don’t use it to empower others, it means nothing.”

Your stories are meant to be given away to others for their benefit. And the stories of others are meant for your benefit. “He gave it to you with deep, meaningful responsibility. Sure, you can close your eyes. But at the end of all things, I believe God is going to look at the privilege we have been given us and ask how we used it. I don’t want to proudly hand mine back to him because I kept mine safe and all for me. I want him to see that I’ve spread mine all around as best as I can. I want to look at him, hold my empty hands out like a guilty little kid and say, “Lord, I don’t have any left.”

Child of promise, you are gifts of hope that keep me waiting to see how your stories evolve. Always love in love, above all others, never the same. Always more than I can imagine, always more than I can fathom or desire. There is no story outside of you, no reason beyond your Creator. I praise the One who made you and who created me to be inextricably bound to the glory of your story.

You may not be a genius, but you have the gift of perseverance. You can handle details and create order and beauty out of chaos. Your gift marks you as a life-giving presence for many who can create new ideas but couldn’t administrate themselves out of paper bag.

You are gifted. You are called. You are telling a story. The clearer you can be about yourself, the further you will be on the journey of catching and being caught by your calling. And the moment you say yes to a population, a place, a problem, and a process—you have been seized by your calling.

Take up a pen and paper and follow God!