Your Story Matters to God

Humans are storied beings.

We can’t help but lean in when we hear the phrase, “Once upon a time.” We are made for stories. But we don’t merely consume stories, we live in them and they live in us. The stories we find ourselves in shape the way we experience relationships, heartache, grief, identity, desire, and everything else in life. This is because we were created by a story-telling God.

When God revealed himself to humanity, he chose to give us a book of stories—stories of rescue and restoration in a fallen world. What’s more shocking, however, is that in the pages of those stories which we call the Bible, we find a God who loves human stories; a God not just eager to speak but to listen; a God who is curious to hear the stories of the people he created.

“Where have you come from and where are you going?” God spoke these words to a traumatized woman named Hagar who had fled to the wilderness to die.* He wanted to listen to her speak about the harm done to her and hear her desires for a better future. As a result, she was the first person in scripture to name God. What name did she choose? El Ro’i. The God who sees me.

God wants to meet you in your wilderness—in your places of hurting and hiding, of exile and escape—and ask you to tell your story. “Where have you been, child, and where are you going?” Though all-knowing and ever-present, he leans in with a curious and empathetic concern, ready to bear witness to your story. Will you find the courage to tell your story? Will you speak of the heartache you have suffered, the shame you still carry, your trauma and your pain? Will you dare to speak of the longings of your heart for the future? The Ancient Storyteller is leaning in. He is ready to listen.

If you are ready to explore your story, click below to schedule a free consultation.

*read the full story in Genesis 16.