What Story Will You Tell?
Author Henri Nouwen writes: “We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told. We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.”
Someday we will have a story to tell about the Covid-19 Pandemic. What do we want our story to be? What will we tell our children and grandchildren about the way we lived during this unprecedented season?
We have the opportunity to create that narrative by how we live each day - whether we are essential workers carrying out our responsibilities to care for the sick or our job helps support those on the front lines or if we are actively helping by staying home, sheltering in place, caring for our families, and living out our faith as we trust God in all things.
The apostle Paul writes to the Philippian believers: “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life;” Philippians 2:12-16
Yes! God is working in us! This work enables us to trust him and to live out our faith. And he gives us the power to do what pleases him. Awesome! I need his power. I can’t do it on my own. How easy it would be to not work hard to show what God has done in our lives. How easy it would be to complain in this time and find something to argue about. However, it’s in this time we can access the desire and power given to us to demonstrate God’s love for all those we encounter, virtually and in person, living in close proximity at home or those we work with. He gives us the desire and power “to do what pleases him.” We get to “shine like bright lights” in a dark situation. Paul reminds us it’s not easy. It requires hard work. Today we are creating the story we will tell. What story do you want to tell? And will you do the hard work required to be able to tell that story?
Write down one or two things you want to be able to tell others in five years, about how you lived for God during this time. Ask God how you can participate with him to make this part of your story.
Linda Waldo
Spiritual Formation Pastor| New Covenant Church
Someday we will have a story to tell about the Covid-19 Pandemic. What do we want our story to be? What will we tell our children and grandchildren about the way we lived during this unprecedented season?
We have the opportunity to create that narrative by how we live each day - whether we are essential workers carrying out our responsibilities to care for the sick or our job helps support those on the front lines or if we are actively helping by staying home, sheltering in place, caring for our families, and living out our faith as we trust God in all things.
The apostle Paul writes to the Philippian believers: “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life;” Philippians 2:12-16
Yes! God is working in us! This work enables us to trust him and to live out our faith. And he gives us the power to do what pleases him. Awesome! I need his power. I can’t do it on my own. How easy it would be to not work hard to show what God has done in our lives. How easy it would be to complain in this time and find something to argue about. However, it’s in this time we can access the desire and power given to us to demonstrate God’s love for all those we encounter, virtually and in person, living in close proximity at home or those we work with. He gives us the desire and power “to do what pleases him.” We get to “shine like bright lights” in a dark situation. Paul reminds us it’s not easy. It requires hard work. Today we are creating the story we will tell. What story do you want to tell? And will you do the hard work required to be able to tell that story?
Write down one or two things you want to be able to tell others in five years, about how you lived for God during this time. Ask God how you can participate with him to make this part of your story.
Linda Waldo
Spiritual Formation Pastor| New Covenant Church
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