If you’ve been reading my blogs since January of this year, I have asked you to consider some important topics:
Making every day your Best Day
Considering your True Identity and living out the purpose of your life
Learning how to Forgive people who have hurt you in the past
Avoiding Codependency by living a life free from other people so that you can appropriately care for yourself.
I would now like to encourage you to begin writing your story.
The story of our past can contain elements both good and bad. The good parts of our stories serve us well; however, the ugly parts, the moments of pain, heartache, and hurt can continue to haunt us way beyond the initial occurrence of these events. Unresolved wounds will always trip us up in our present and future. Untold stories remain in the dark and nothing good grows in darkness. These stories of pain and suffering need to be accepted and shared in order to remove their powerful hold on us.
God intended our stories to be avenues to liberate and expand, not imprison or diminish our lives. Speaking our story will be significant in releasing it’s hold on us, and will more than likely help someone else in the process.
Over the next several weeks I am going to show you how to write your story so that the only effect it has is liberating, not suffocating.
I have several friends who are in some stage of writing their own story. They are finding that story telling is contagious and freeing to the soul. If you’re not yet convinced, please consider trying it anyway.
Here are some story writing guidelines
Story Guidelines:
Before you start writing, pray and ask God for the right words.
Your story needs to be written out, well rehearsed, fluid, and congruent.
Be honest, real, and genuine.
Remember that you are not cured, just a wounded healer. Be aware that your story may often elicit emotions of anger and sadness.
Stay focused and to the point.; not too long, not too short.
Find one or two safe people with whom to share your 1st draft. Safe people = no judgment, evaluation, or blame. People, who will listen, support, encourage and love.
Edit, fine tune, and adjust your story. Share the edited version to your safe friends again. Repeat as often as necessary.
You are not looking for an audience with whom to share your story, you are looking for the healing that comes with owning, writing and sharing your story. Let the people that eventually come to listen to your story be people that God brings to you.
We have to share the story about us that says, “Yeah, I am broken and I need relief. I need peace. I need healing. I need God.”
There’s a reason why a person goes to an AA meeting and states, “Hi, my name is John and I’m an alcoholic.” They do that because they know that they cannot make progress until they own their story. They walk into the room and they immediately have a shared history, when every person comes clean and says, “I am broken”, then they can take the journey to healing.
Join me and let’s walk this journey together.