A Story Worth Sharing

Whenever I dig in my garden, pulling weeds and deadheading flowers, I think of my grandma. She has always cultivated my growth, teaching me about faith and telling family stories—and sharing her love of gardening. These moments with her have had an enormous impact on the way I live—specifically, helping me become rooted in church.

Stories passed down from older generations can give us hope and serve as an example to break generational patterns. They can remind us of where we’ve come from and give us a reason to move forward. 

In Acts 2, Peter attempts to preach to a crowd to bring clarity to the confusion that had erupted on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus’s disciples. He does it through story. Peter, once a fisherman, boldly shares the Gospel of Jesus and quotes the Old Testament, using the words of David and the prophet, Joel. Peter had never met Joel or David, and yet, through their stories and prophecies handed down for generations, he was able to tell people about the Messiah. On that day in Jerusalem, Peter’s message brought 3,000 people to believe and be baptized.

Peter was following Jesus’s instructions: “Go and make disciples.” The more he and the disciples traveled, suffered, and shared, the more people came to know Christ. They performed miracles and shared stories of what God had done in their own lives.

At the time, Peter could not have known that his words would be held in our hands today. He also could not have known that the miracle of his boat full of fish, would be told for millennia. Peter, whose life was littered with fear and insecurity, was always met with grace and mercy as he walked with Jesus. Sometimes the pain and shame of our past is hard to process, but when we acknowledge even those parts of our story, God can use them to help others and free us to heal and grow.

The disciples had a story to tell, and so do you—a powerful one. You are an important part of Jesus’ ministry. You don’t have to stand in front of a large crowd, give a polished speech, or have actually walked with Jesus on earth, like Peter did. When you accept Christ and what he’s done for you, his Holy Spirit will guide you to a different way of living—one worth sharing. 

Who will you bring the Good News to? When we share our stories, it not only strengthens our own faith, but also the faith of those we share with. Who needs to hear how your life is different because of Jesus?