Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
Acts 26:28-29

---

We sat in a circle in our group leaders’ living room. It was another week of Rooted, and one of the couples in our group was sharing their story. We had not been meeting for very long and we all knew each other to varying degrees of depth. But together, they were brave and bold. They shared with tenderness and vulnerability, and their willingness to be so open set the stage for the rest of the group. They broke open a door with their vulnerability that nothing else could. 

That’s the power of our stories. When we share authentically we make room for others to bravely do the same. And that waters the soil in which God plants the seeds of faith. 

In today’s Scripture, we see that Paul shared his story in front of a lot of very important people. It was risky, these important people could easily have him killed. But he knew, and we can know too, that God uses our stories to reach those who might be far from Him. He also uses our stories to bolster the faith of those who know Him. 

We’ve been sharing about the Rooted Rhytym of BLESS this week: Begin with prayer, Listen, Eat a meal, Serve your neighbor, and Share your story. Sometimes, we can think our story isn’t compelling or we aren’t good at sharing, but not sharing our story can keep us from opportunities to share about God’s goodness. 

What if you shift your perspective and, instead of thinking of your story as yours, actually think of it as God’s story? What’s helped me consider my story differently is to think of God as the hero, not me—which is the reality, right? I think that’s what gave Paul such confidence to stand before people who had the power and authority to literally take his life—he knew God was the hero of his story, and he just couldn’t hold it back. 

Next Steps

When was the last time you shared your story with someone? Try this exercise over the next few weeks and see what happens: 

1. Write down the character traits of God that have meant something special to you over the years. 
2. Reflect on how God met you through those character traits over the years.
3. Write down that story. 

For example, God has ministered to me in recent years with His peaceful presence. So, if I were doing this exercise, I would spend time thinking of how He has met me with peace and then write it down. This way, the next time I am in a conversation with someone who is feeling anxious, I can share how God meets me in that place, and maybe, just maybe, it will help them see how God can and will meet them too. 

Also, if you haven’t done Rooted yet, please sign up here. It’s a truly fantastic experience!