Have you ever had the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own? Though they may just be an extra in the background of our lives, each person has a life populated with their own ambitions, relationships, routines, and inherited craziness.
We all have a story to tell. If you believe your testimony is of little significance, I need you to grasp onto the truth that it could impact generations if you dared to share it with one person.
If you keep up with my Instagram, you know that I was recently in Iraq. While I was there, I met women with stories that were hard to hear—stories of loss and despair. I played with children who have lived through harder experiences than I could ever imagine—one of whom I was able to connect with through my story. She is a child of a Yazidi refugee family, and we have a big similarity despite our incredibly different lives.
When I saw this sweet seven-year-old, I noticed she could not close one of her eyes because it was artificial. I can only imagine the constant pain and discomfort this must cause her, for the city in which she lives is filled with dust. Though I am unsure how she lost her eye, I was not far off from her age when I underwent a surgery to remove one of my eyes due to cancer.
Losing my eye opened a door for doubts and lies to flood into my life. These lies steered me down a path to pain, but I am so thankful God saw me and rescued me with His truth and love. As I held this beautiful girl, I was able to share some of my heart with her in hopes that she would not experience the same struggles that I once did.
As if losing an eye isn’t painful enough, I also learned her father was killed in the conflict with ISIS. I am brought to tears at the thought of a child the same age as my grandson, Asher, going through this scary time in life without the comfort of her dad.
Though she was shy and has suffered much loss, I did not hold back in daring her to hope outrageously. I showed her pictures of my family and dared her to dream of her own. I’m thankful the story of my artificial eye opened the door for her to have a hope filled heart for a bright future.
Maybe you haven’t lost an eye, but whatever tough situations you’ve encountered that have brought you closer to God can be just as powerful for someone in your world of influence. The book of Revelation shows us the power of a story when Michael and his angels use their testimony to cast out Satan from heaven:
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (12:11 NKJV)
If a testimony can be powerful enough to dethrone the devil, your story has more than enough power to change the course of a life which could result in a legacy for generations. Who can you pull onto your lap and share your story with? Maybe it looks more like inviting a peer to coffee, or sitting with the person you pass each day experiencing homelessness. Your story might be the perfect form of encouragement someone needs to step into their God-given identity despite their circumstances.
God sent His Son into the dark night of the human struggle because His love for us is truly without rival. Heaven gave up its most precious gift to invade our story with power. Because Jesus came to our rescue, we are now children of promise—powerfully purposed and equipped with everything we need to step into a life beyond compare. Let’s share our stories with those who are in need of the same hope that rescued us!
