One of the things that I like most about blogging is reading other people’s “story”.  Hearing how God has worked in the lives of other women, changing them.  We all have a story to tell.  Even those of us who aren’t professional writers need to be open to sharing our stories…..our lives can have meaning to someone else.

It is important to share those stories. Even if it impacts one person…it was worth it.

So I wanted to take some time, at the end of another year, to reflect back and share a bit of my past with you. Each new year is, in a sense, a fresh start….and I think it is important to consider all the ways we have grown.

But I can’t really just start with the happenings of 2012….I need to first begin with how I started the journey to where I am today. And that journey starts as a young girl.

I grew up in a Christian home. We went to church, and family Bible camp in the summer. We had picnics and gatherings with other church families. God was an important part of my growing up. I feel blessed that was the case.

When I was maybe 10, my mom started taking me to these Christian Women’s brunches. I felt pretty special to be going. It was held at the local country club, and we dressed up all fancy and had a nice lunch and registered for door-prizes :), and during lunch we listened to a woman get up and tell her story.

These women came from different backgrounds, upbringings etc….but they all had one thing in common. At some point in their lives they came in contact with God in a way that changed them. A God that was more than the “being” we learned about in church….a God that became a friend, a guide in times of trouble.

Oh how I wanted to know God that way.

And at the end of their talks these women would say a prayer. They would ask those people listening in the audience to pray silently with them if they were interested in starting that journey of faith and trusting God as their personal Savior.

The first brunch I went to I said that prayer. I meant it with everything in my being. I wanted what they had. And I was sure that once I said the prayer, my life would dramatically change.

But it didn’t. Not really anyways.

And so each month we would go I would pray that prayer again….because maybe I hadn’t done it “right”….or maybe God hadn’t heard me. I had this expectation of some magical feeling or a major change in my popularity. (This clearly was NOT God’s plan for my life) 🙂  But never quite got what I thought I should,

And while I didn’t walk away from those meetings changed in the ways I had hoped…a seed was planted. And THAT would stick with me in years to come. I can look back now and see how even then, God was working in my heart.

As a woman who has walked through some major valleys in the past 20+ years, I can confidently say that today I could see myself speaking to women, sharing my story and asking them to pray a simple prayer with me….asking them to open their hearts to a journey of faith.

Because He has always been there. Every step of the way.

And I would tell them that they may not see and hear bells and whistles or angels singing, their lives may not change at that instant….but not to be discouraged….because the hope, the promise is that God will be right there walking with them.

In the valleys, on the mountain tops. Every step He is there.

And some day they too will be grateful that they decided to take that leap of faith because in those times of difficulty, God was the One thing that stays constant. And I am so grateful for that today.

Stories. We all have them. Some stories we hide because they are difficult to share. Some stories are painful and dark and others filled with hope. But each story has the potential to impact another life.

And so as we look into another year of story making….I hope to use this place here as a home to story telling. God has been in the thick with me, and His story of redemption and grace in my life is a story that must be told.

How about you? What part of your story can you share with me? I’d love to hear how God has been working in your life too!

God, give me Your words here, so that You receive the glory….and thank you for giving me a story to tell.