SHARING OUR STORIES HELPS EACH OTHER AND OURSELVES

SHARING OUR STORIES HELPS EACH OTHER AND OURSELVES 

In sharing our stories, we are helping each other and ourselves. How many of us have told our stories informally to family and friends? We have all retold accounts of our lives: the happy memories, the challenges and obstacles we’ve overcome, and the tales of adventure. Sharing our narratives allows for connection; we share at a deeper level, increasing our bonds.

Sometimes, we’re so comfortable in sharing others’ stories that it’s easy to forget that we, as women, have so many stories of our own worth sharing. It’s equally important that we recognize this – our stories matter, and when we share them with others, we connect through dialogue. This dialogue, in turn, is empowering.

Why Our Stories Matter So Much

Storytelling through sharing our testimony empowers us to reach further, try harder, and care more deeply. It also strengthens the women we talk with as we share. Our stories may motivate other women to find their voice, allow them to see they are not alone in their struggles, or give them the strength to move forward. Women were created to nurture, and our stories have a way of nurturing one another.

We were not created to spend time alone. Women were created for fellowship and community, and they thrive on engagement and connection.

In a previous blog post, Are You Brave Enough to be Vulnerable, I shared about the vulnerability of being a writer. When we share through our writing, we may express self-doubts or fears, which our readers may respond to and engage with if they have the same struggles or doubts. This sharing opens dialogue and builds rapport. Let’s be honest. It feels good to tell someone about our journey and discover they understand because they have the same challenges or experiences. This type of sharing is much like our testimony.

Testimony: Our Story of Transformation

The word ‘testimony’ is based on the idea that our words are public. Keeping a story or testimony to ourselves doesn’t do anyone any good. But to own our story and share our story – a true testimony – these stories move people. Our testimonies are meant to be shared. When we talk with other women, it benefits both of us, the storyteller and the listener.

I love the definition of testimony in the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

1. a: firsthand authentication of a fact: evidence b:  an outward sign
2. a:  an open acknowledgment b: a public profession of religious experience
3. a: the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law:  the ark containing the tablets b: a divine decree attested in the Scriptures.

When I discovered the definition of testimony, “the ark containing the tablets, a divine decree attested in the Scriptures,” my heart leaped! Our testimony is our journey, our story of God at work in our lives. Can there be any greater demonstration?

I share my testimony in three parts: my life before Christ, how I found Christ, and my life after Christ. A simpler explanation, my testimony is my story of how I was lost, but now I am found. A testimony is a powerful story to share as we retell God’s redemptive power in our lives.

Sharing Your Story

So, listen carefully. Try to hear the story that’s in your heart, the one you know needs to be told. This story is your testimony. Listen to the words of other women and find strength in them. Tell your own story to others, and share your strength with them. Together, our stories and testimonies are empowering, and sharing that empowerment is to share God’s gifts and love with our community.

Storytelling is powerful. Connecting with one another through storytelling and conversation is a powerful method of communication. Sharing our stories builds community, so let’s start building today!

Would you like to share your story? We would love to share your testimony with our readers. Submit your testimony via email to robin@robinrevispyke.com. If you have any questions, send me an email, and I’ll be happy to follow up!

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.” Psalm 22:22 (NLT)