“Share your story here”.

These are the words that greet me every time I open up my WordPress to begin a new piece.

Stories are worth sharing. They have value.

Sometimes they are long. Sometimes they are short. Sometimes the stories we tell have little impact and then other times a simple component of your story can hit like a ton of bricks.

That’s the thing about stories. They impact us. Stories are like encounters which stir up emotions. They have the ability to touch a part of us that feels hidden away and before you know it that story has uncovered the emotion you felt deep inside of you.

Stories also inspire us. They inspire us in ways that remind us that there is more to living than simply being alive. Stories inspire us to reach new highs or tackle obstacles in front of us. They remind us that all things are possible if we give it a chance.

Stories inspire us because a part of it touches us. They have the ability to touch us in profound ways. Kind of like finding a stack of keys and stumbling upon the right one which opens a door, stories have the ability to unlock our minds.

Stories become examples to us. They transmit an experience that in the best of times reminds us how beautiful life can be and in the worst of times sadly a reminder of how fragile life can seem.

It’s not just there that stories go. They shine a light on things and reveal things. They remind us of simple things and complexed things. That life isn’t always straight forward, that life doesn’t always make sense. But it also reveals that life is full of hope and reason. It reminds us of how life was intended to be enjoyed and appreciated.

What of your story??

I love the quote that “Your story is important”.

Your story is unique. It’s different for everyone. What you’ve learned, experienced, felt, thought, seen, touched and heard can be viewed in a different light to every one of us.

Your story is effectively your life. From the day you were born till this current day your story has been playing itself out. I hear so many people downplay their lives and their opinions. They will talk about the the things they’ve experienced as being unimportant and say things like “people don’t want to hear about that!?!”.

The truth though is that people DO want to hear about it. People NEED to know about it. We are living, breathing examples that things can be achieved or overcome. We are walking, talking advertising billboards for the fact that life and the people we do life with need us to share our experiences.

Our stories are far more significant than we give them credit for. The story of our lives reveals a lot about the character of who we are. Our experiences feed our story and therefore develop our character. They can reveal our toughness, or our selflessness. They can reveal our determination to succeed and our drive to the highest ascent in life.

Because stories are real they unfortunately can also reveal pain and hurt, distrust and our struggles. Those are all hard places to be but out of those situations your story can still bring hope and inspire those around you.

People need reason. They need to know that they don’t do this alone. In times of struggle knowing someone who can relate to it always helps a little. So don’t ever think that people only ever want to know about your good days. It’s okay to be honest and to admit to others that things aren’t always great.

For me I’ve found that my story has a value in being shared with the people around me. I’ve never really known a life without worry. Never really lived a life that didn’t look into the future and wonder what of?

But I’ve learned to cast those concerns aside the older I’ve got. Maybe it’s age? Perhaps it’s just time? Or perhaps it’s just I got to a stage where I trusted God fully that I stopped worrying about the things I couldn’t control. I found that when I looked back on my life I have always found myself in the right places and always been safe. There was nothing to worry about. Never has been!

My story has a chapter these days that desires those around me to live with that same confidence. To know that the fears and concerns that enter our minds are just that. In our minds.

I want us all to appreciate the things around you that mean the most to you. To enjoy those things because they’re in your life for a reason. Don’t ever take them for granted. For the friendships you form are not by chance. The opportunities you have are not just your livelihood. They go beyond just that.

My story, or rather….my hope, is that you embrace your own story. The good bits and the bad bits. Use the good bits to capture those around you and the bad bits? Well, use them to remind people that even in amongst the hard moments in life that there is a way out if you stay determined, if you choose to accept the challenge and turn things around. There is most definitely a corner to turn and a better road ahead. You just have to believe it and you will see it. Your story is whatever you make of it.

Your story is important.

Your story matters.

Your story is someone else’s hope and reason.

Your story is someone else’s comfort.

Your story DOES have a purpose.