111 Unique: Leveraging Your Story
Not only are you a unique person, but you were also made for a unique purpose. One of the factors in discovering that purpose, or “calling,” is understanding your PASSIONS. Another is unwrapping your GIFTS.
Today we come to the third element. Your STORY - those past experiences (both good and bad) that marked you and even made you into what you are today.
One of the finest illustrations of how a story was used for God’s glory is that of the Old Testament character of Joseph. As you read his story beginning in Genesis 37, we see how God never wastes anything – even those pieces that are most painful.
In many ways, his story is an illustration of the truth of Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Everyone has a story. God is not only the Creator of our life – He is also the Author of our life. And each chapter passes through the editing of His permissive will. NOTHING happens to you that He is not aware of and ultimately in control over.
To be sure, there’s all sorts of mystery in that. But in looking at the life of Joseph and holding on to the truth of Romans 8:28, we can know that our story is not “a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing” but rather a journey of purpose even though it’s filled with seasons of pain.
In order to mine the meaning from your past, you will need to examine both your good and bad experiences through some thoughtful reflection. Ask these questions:
· What positive experiences have I had that God might want to use?
What are the mountain tops in the landscape of your story? What are the everyday things that helped shape you into who you are today?
· What painful experiences have I had that God might want to use?
What are the valleys in your life’s landscape? How have they formed your beliefs and values?
· What do you think your experiences have done within you that might point toward your calling?
What do your positive and painful experiences have in common? The connections between the joy and the sorrow may be the themes that God wants to use to reveal His glory through you.
Author Dan Allender wrote: “If you want to know the will of God for your life, look behind you. Your future is meant to be written in light of the patterns of the past.”
Want to explore your story?
Download the “My Story” worksheet and spend some time exploring how your past shapes your unique calling.
Text: Genesis 37 ff, Romans 8:28
Originally recorded on November 22, 2009, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.