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I Peter 3:15 says it best...
If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it with gentleness and respect.
It's true that the people we come across day to day need to see us live a life that reflects Jesus.
But how will they know what the Gospel can mean for them unless someone tells them?
My hope is that whatever UYW apparel you're sporting, conversations get started!
Conversations that open the door for you to connect with others and share the goodness of God in your life.
The world desperately needs to hear the truth of the Gospel told through the story of your life.
YOUR STORY IS MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU THINK.
Every Christ follower has a story to tell. Each one of us have been rescued from a life of sin and brokenness and set free to follow Jesus.
You don't need to be articulate salesman or a well-educated theologian to tell others about Jesus. God has given you a story of transformation through the power of the Gospel. And there are few things more powerful and disarming than a story, particularly the story of how Jesus can change someone’s life.
The truth is, you have multiple God stories woven throughout your life that so many different people can relate to. Identify and think on those stories...perhaps it's your decision to ask Jesus into your life, a particularly difficult season you've navigated, or maybe a scary but awesome way God has come through for you.
Each of those experiences leave us with a before and after in our lives, revealing how we've been changed...and that will make a great story every time.
HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY
FOCUS: Choose a defining moment in your life, a struggle, or a significant change of mind or heart you've experienced.
DESCRIBE: Paint a picture of the raw condition of your life before you encountered Jesus. The most difficult parts of your story are often what people will most relate to.
EXPLAIN: Share how your choices, attitudes, and circumstances changed when you chose to surrender your life to the Lord. How did choosing Him bring change, hope, and healing?
REVEAL: What did God show you about yourself or who He is and how are you living differently today because of that? What do you have now that you didn't have before?
KEEP THESE TIPS IN MIND
BE CONVERSATIONAL. Focus more on expressing your thoughts and feelings and not on perfect words.
BE SPECIFIC with what you were thinking and feeling, not just what happened.
BE HONEST. Embrace the messiness. Don't exaggerate or sugarcoat.
BE REAL. You are a work in progress. So is what God is doing. Don’t feel the need to tie things up in a bow.
BE SIMPLE. Don’t clutter your story with details, tangents, backstories or people that aren’t really connected to the main theme of your story.
PRACTICE SHARING the different God stories of your life with friends. Telling our God stories is a muscle we all need to exercise.
ONE LAST THING...
The most important thing is to remember that the power of your story is not in the words you choose or in the drama of the events you recount. The power is in expressing an authentic, personal story of how Jesus is alive and at work for you, in you, and through you.
We don't need our stories to end neatly. We just need to allow people to connect with our hopes, fears, and struggles, and help them see that Jesus cares, that God is good, and how desperately they need the work of the cross in their lives.
DIGGING DEEPER
If you want to a little deeper into the how's and why's of sharing your story, check the cards below and take a few minutes to ponder the additional scripture and prompt.