The Power of Your Story (Part 2)

/ Christian in College, Relationship with Jesus, Sexual Abuse, The Journey, Your Story / 27 Comments

Last week, I blogged about how powerful our stories are. (Click here to see it!)

Our stories have as much power as Jesus’ death on the cross. If you are a believer in Christ and have a personal relationship with him, God can and will use your story to bring him glory. Your story is an extension of God’s power!

The second reason why your story is powerful is because our God has an eternal perspective. God knows how each event in our lives will be used to impact eternity!

Isaiah 55:8-11: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
 neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so are my ways higher than your ways
 and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
 and do not return there but water the earth, 
making it bring forth and sprout,
 giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
 it shall not return to me empty,
 but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
 and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

We have to understand that God is SO much bigger than our tiny little brains.

Our thoughts are smaller than his thoughts. Our plans are smaller than his plans. Think of eternity as a line. It is a line that goes on and on and on forever. We are just one dot on that line, so we only see our dot and a little before and after. But God, the Creator of the line, sees the whole line! He knows how one dot will impact the next.

Last summer, I had the pleasure of going to Miami for 10 weeks on Miami Summer Project with a ministry called Cru.

Before going on project, I prayed that God would bring one other women who had been sexually abused. I desired to use my story to help someone else heal. One day in Miami, I went on a walk with one of my friends. She was upset and said that she didn’t know why she was telling me this, but wanted to tell me her story. She had been raped her freshman year of college. I was the first person she had told.

God planned that both her and I would be in Miami that summer. She felt weird inside because the Holy Spirit was telling her to share her deepest pain with me. We cried and talked together, and I began to understand that God would use my story to glorify himself. That summer I got to help my friend begin a journey of healing, and I continued healing by viewing my life through God’s eternal perspective.

Later that week, I found out that 5 other girls on project had been sexually abused.

I prayed for 1 girl, God gave me 6. Before project, we each focused on our dot and our hurt, but God was focused on how our hurt could help others.

Here is my favorite part of the story! After project, one of the women felt called to share her story with other ladies, specifically the Greek women on her campus. She went to each chapter meeting and shared her story. She shared what she had gone through, how God redeemed her, saved her, and how now is experiencing real love in a relationship with God.

Later that semester, Cru at her college hosted an event called Girls’ Night Out by Marian Jordan. At the event, they witnessed 98 girls pray to give their life to Christ, most of them were women from sororities that my friend shared her story to.

Dear reader, my friend realized that God could take her story and use it to change women’s eternities! He can do the same with yours! Your story is powerful! I challenge you to stop focusing on your dot and focus on the line. Let God use your story to impact others eternities! Love, Joy

Check out: The Power of Your Story (Part 1) and The Power of Your Story (Part 3)

I hope this post has been encouraging! Be sure to add me on social media and share my blog with your friends! Thanks!

27 Comments on The Power of Your Story (Part 2)

  1. lrbeatty
    at (10 years ago)

    Totally awesome. Yeah God!

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Hi Larry! I know it is to late to staff at Jumonville for the summer, but if you need a speaker, I would love to drive over and give a talk on any topic you would like! Just e-mail me at [email protected] if you are interested. Thanks!

      • lrbeatty
        at (10 years ago)

        Aren’t you in Florida now?

        • Joy Skarka
          at (10 years ago)

          I’m in Monroeville all summer. I got an internship at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

          • lrbeatty
            at (10 years ago)

            What does your internship entail? Do you have any extra time? We are looking for someone to help do followup phone calls for summer campers who have made commitments during the summer. It is a paid position by the conference. I will get the position description and details for you.

  2. Jacqueline F. Holmes
    at (10 years ago)

    Powerful. It is so beautiful and I grow in understanding how opening up our mouths and releasing brings such life to someone. Praise, Honor and Glory to God!!!! Yes, our life stories are powerful and we must share.

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Thanks Jacqueline! That is awesome that your grew up understanding that! I would love to read your story sometime =]

  3. Anonymous
    at (10 years ago)

    Wow! Thank you for sharing! I got really inspired by it! 🙂
    Greetings from a Dutch reader: Jacqueline.

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Thank you for reading! And being an encouragement to me =]

  4. Hazel Irene Moon
    at (10 years ago)

    God is so amazing to put together those women who could and would bless and help heal themselves and others too. I loved your post and your gentle spirit. Thank you for sharing with us here at “Tell Me a True Story.” http://letmetelluastory.blogspot.com/

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Hi Hazel! Thanks for the comment! I’m glad I was able to share it on your page. I look forward to more link ups =]

  5. mark and jennifer dougan
    at (10 years ago)

    Hi Joy,

    Nice to meet you. I’m hopping over from Ann’s link up. Thank you for your honesty here, and for your encouragement that God can use our stories and hurts to encourage others. How neat that you were able to talk to six other girls who were hurting. I ache for their pain and their experiences, yet I’m thankful that you were able to speak healing and hope into each other’s lives. Our God is a God who brings joy and restoration, who brings beauty and healing from brokenness. I’ve seen him do that in my life too, and am so humbled and thrilled.

    Jennifer Dougan
    http://www.jenniferdougan.com

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Hi Jennifer!
      Nice to meet you too! Thank you for your encouraging comment. I agree, our God is a God who brings joy and restoration and it is beautiful to see that be true in my life. I look forward to getting to know you more through your blog and other link-ups.
      -Joy

  6. pjkuhn
    at (10 years ago)

    I got stopped by your “Our stories have as much power as Jesus’ death on the cross.” Then it hit me how right your are! Because our stories are only because of Jesus’ death. Without that we are nothing. You thoughts on this really blessed me.

  7. jwillcock7
    at (10 years ago)

    Hi Joy I’m hopping over from Bonnie Gray’s link up. Thanks for sharing! I love how God weaves all our lives together so we can have purpose and share His love!

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Yay thanks for checking out my blog! Thank you for your encouragement =]

  8. Marissa D
    at (10 years ago)

    Amazing example of how when we step back and allow God to show us His plan for the day, He will do more marvelous things than we could even think to ask for. So glad you shared this with Cozy Reading Spot!

    I hope you don’t mind I’m sharing it with Salt & Light… it’s too good not to share (http://raysofgraceandjoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/salt-light-23.html)

    Marissa

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Hi Marissa! Thanks for the comment and thank you for sharing it with your readers 🙂

  9. welcomesue
    at (10 years ago)

    powerful fruit from a prayer well-prayed – our pain is never wasted. bless you, joy.

    • Joy Skarka
      at (10 years ago)

      Thank you so much for your encouraging comment =]

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