What Is Your Story?
One generation commends Your works to
another; they tell of Your mighty acts.
– Psalm 145:4
I was the youngest person at the table. One had
reached 93. Two were in their 80s. Another was almost there. The nearest one to
my age could retire. We were quite the group.
The stories came fast, fueled by laughter. “I didn’t
know that,” was a common refrain. “That’s amazing,” was another.
We are a ragtag bunch taking up a corner table in a
busy, local restaurant. The owner, once only a son, was busy taking orders and
sharing smiles and comments. He’d already sent his own son home with items his
wife had requested. It’s a family business, open six days a week.
The hustle and bustle are bittersweet. He’d lost his
Dad years before to a cancer he couldn’t seem to beat. My own Dad had been one
of the volunteer drivers who took the man to his cancer treatments so his
family could keep the business running. It’s what you do in a small community.
One of those at our table taught me in the third
grade. Her late husband graduated from high school with my Mother. We are
bonded, this dear woman and I. There is a history there that has gelled over
shared interests and a love of stories. Some people brighten your day just by
being there. She is one of them.
Our faith runs deep. Everyone at the table has
suffered deep loss, betrayal, heartache. We have also embraced love, caring,
laughter. And a deep, unending joy that can only come from Christ.
There is something that changes in a soul when you
travel through rough waters and emerge on the other side. There is a depth you
never expected that goes along with the scars you once thought would never
heal. You learn what it means to be surrounded by people of faith. You
understand the significance of being prayed for and of having people carry you
when you don’t have the strength to carry yourself.
Our roots go deep. I wonder sometimes if other people
see that as we burst once again into laughter. We are not a quiet bunch of
folks. We fill our moments with talk, with stories, with a history that others
might not readily see. Our faith is the foundation on which we stand. Praises
to God, mingle with our chatter.
It is those stories, those praises, that will one day
be left behind. Our days on this earth are numbered. We’re just traveling
through, bound for a place we can only imagine. What will people remember about
you? Will they know your story? Will they understand your faith?
God instructs us to tell of His mighty works from
generation to generation. We are to share our faith, our stories, with those
coming behind us. Don’t wait until the end to tell your stories and don’t wait
until it’s too late to make time to listen. You might end up learning something
from a life you never could have imagined.
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