3 Points to Ponder
- “Stories are the fabric of life. When used by a world-class designer, a masterpiece can be woven together. But, the designer needs to be able to access your fabric – your story. Are you letting the master designer use your story?”
- “Shared stories, when given through the embrace of humility and respect, can be the connection point for something greater. When is the last time you’ve truly shared your story and what was the reaction from the receiver?”
- “Receiving someone’s story is an ultimate gift as they are giving you a piece of themselves, for better or for worse. Are you actively listening for opportunities to receive the gift of someone else’s story?”
2 Quotes to Share
“My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.” – Tim O’Brien
“Everybody has a story. When we don’t take the time to know someone’s story or worse, create our own version of it, we lose the chance to understand what they need, which is the first step to empathy.” -Jon Acuff
1 Story of Impact
Each of us has a story to share with the world. It is our stories that connect us with others. When we can learn how to accept our story and effectively share it with the world, it opens up all kinds of possibilities. Tom Dent and Claudin Augustin have very different stories. Tom grew up a generational farmer, with his great-great-grandfather moving to Wayne County, Iowa, and starting a farm. If you would have asked young Tom about Haiti, he would have had little clue nor little care. Claudin grew up on generational land, with his ancestors moving to a little rural community in Bohoc, Haiti. Claudin grew up learning first from his dad about growing food and then going to school in Cap Haitian to earn his degree as an agronomist. Tom is now just below the half-century mark and Claudin has a young family, making a major age difference between the two. But, when you hear their stories and how God put each of them on a collision course to improve agriculture in Haiti, I’m in awe. I listen to them talk and they have one voice, despite all the differences present in their individual stories. Take a look at their stories here. You see, where we see differences, God sees an interweaving story to strengthen one another. It isn’t our differences that separate us, rather it is our differences that can make us stronger when we walk in humility in our shared story. Do the people with whom you do life know your story? Do you know theirs? Do you see your differences as a way to move you further apart or a way to strengthen the whole? Maybe this week someone in your influence needs to hear your story. Or you need to hear theirs.
