They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! (Ps. 22:31)
My mom grew up surrounded by brokenness. Pain and heartache and shame lurked around every corner, just waiting to claim her. But God had something else in mind. A kindly neighbor introduced her and her younger sister to Jesus. For that fatherless girl, God shined bright and perfect and whole. He filled in the gaps of everything she lacked, and she clung to him with every part of her being.
Years later, my mother revealed bits and pieces of her childhood to me and my siblings; each time, our jaws hit the floor. We were shocked by what my mom had survived in comparison to what we knew as kids. Like the psalmist, my mom would tell her stories of God’s faithfulness and proclaim, “He has done it!” As a result, I grew up with a very tangible example of just how big God can be, transforming not only my mom but also several members of her family. This pattern of redemption became our spiritual inheritance.
Our stories, the tales we tell of how God’s grace has infiltrated our hearts, are the continuation of his gospel. We are meant to tell redemption’s tale. And in doing so, we become living, breathing proof of his goodness and his salvation. Don’t let redemption become stifled in the shadows; let the story of what God has done for you come into the light.
Don’t hoard your stories of God’s goodness; pass them on.
Sarah E. Westfall resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her husband Ben and their four boys. She really wants a nap.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
