Stories of our youth.

     There are many stories each of us have from our youth.  That's both youth as in chronical age and youth as is after receiving Christ.  I have shared many stories of each example.  To date I still feel like I am young even though I'm 63.  I remember my first love in 4th grade, the teacher I had a crush on, the awards won and games lost.  I remember being out working in the fields for 10 plus hours a day alone on many acres with no one in sight.  I remember many pleasant stories and there were also the unpleasant ones.  Within my Christian life I remember my first love faith.  I remember praying and seeing answers to prayer.  I remember laying my hands on people and seeing them healed.  I remember giving a word of the Lord to those he directed me to tell.  I remember the many I had the honor of praying with as they received Christ.  I remember as a young husband becoming a father for the first time.  All were spiritual stories of importance to me.  Without these and many more stories I wouldn't have much to say.  You see, we live our stories everyday in one way or another.  We live out our heritage (family and Christian) every day.  Our stories are what make us who we are.  We are fit for the race because we have a story.  You might remember the story of Jesus from birth to resurrection.  That story too lives out in our lives as Christians.
     I hear people share stories all the time.  You probably do as well.  Some are unreal (and maybe are embellished) and hardly believable.  Some are real and we are gripped by the import of their story.  Some people tell stories in such a way that we want to be a better person because of them.  The story lives on as we pass them onto our children and grandchildren.  Like the Israelites of the Old Testament, we pass on the story.  Sometimes we don't though and the story is lost.  As Christians it's important that we at least pass on the stories of faith, struggle and eternity.  Without them our children are left in the hands of the world.  With a world that is increasingly taking away the story of our nation we have a resultant lack of love for this country by many.  With a world taking away the story of Jesus we have a lack of love for Jesus by that population.  With no story about ethics and morality we have become a nation of desperation and hopelessness.  With no story about the grace of God many are floundering in a world going to hell in a handbasket.  The story is important.  Your story is important.  No one can tell your story like you.  There is no substitute for a personal story of your life to help someone else. 
     The world wants me to know that my stories are out of line and should be kept to myself.  The world wants me to avoid the truth so that I won't offend anyone.  The world has it's own story that is designed by Satan himself so that we are commanded by law (man's law) to not do this, not say this, and not live our story outside the privacy of our home.  The story of putting a frog into a pan of cold water and turning on the heat should resound with us.  The frog doesn't notice the subtle changes in the temperature and before he knows it has been boiled alive.  Subtle changes to take away the Gospel are taking place all over the world but especially in the United States.  Where are the Christians with their story?  Are they afraid their story (which is Christ's story) might upset or offend someone?  Then they are serving the world and not God.  We languish about the condition of society and the world but don't tell our story of hope and peace.  We guard our lives when Christ commanded to give our lives away.  The story gets silenced by choice. It's always your choice.  Tell your story.