A Story

Ever since I've been involved with Young Life I've had to tell my life story at least once a year. Most of the time it's more than that. Last year durning my internship I shared it four or five times. This summer I will share it at least three times. The first time I ever told the story of my life was when I did Work Crew the summer of 2007. I had just finished high school and was about to go to Washington Family Ranch for the very first time. I volunteered a month of my life to clean toilets and do laundry. Not much has changed. 

It is interesting to see what parts of my story that I still tell and what parts I choose not to share. I don't share somethings anymore mainly because what was once a huge and impacting event no longer holds that high of importance. Only what matters, only what has helped shape me into who I am today gets told. 

I still tell about how my niece was born into the world and about my brother's drug addiction. I tell people how my sister brought me to Young Life and how one week of camp changed my life. Ice hockey of course is always mentioned because for eleven years of my life that was my identity. I talk about my struggle with depression and how that began in high school and carried on throughout college. Smaller events, however, like how I was bullied by my hockey teammates no longer get mentioned because the scars from their wounds have faded away and no longer define who I am.

There are also things that I do not mention because the wounds are still fresh or my audience is not mature enough to handle it. But no matter what I share or do not share one thing has always remained the same and that is The Lord working his healing power through my story. Not only to help heal those who hear it but to help heal me as well because every time I share my life with another the power of sin, guilt, and shame is diminished as we realize we are not as different as we seem or as alone in our struggles as the evil one leads us to believe.

The story of my life has and will continue to heal others but it will also continue to heal me the more I tell it. May you find it is the same with your story as well. E.