3 Points to Ponder
- “There is a moment when God breaks through the monotony, crashing together our story from the past and our hope for the future. Be present enough to see it. How can you be present today to see the beautiful story God is writing through you at this moment?”
- “Strength builds on past experiences. Finding your narrative voice to carry your story is the foundation to build upon. What is the narrative of your story? Does it need to be reshaped or reevaluated?”
- “Never give up as the breakthrough might be the next step. And when you look back, you might be surprised how far you have come. What is the next step you need to take this week?”
2 Quotes to Share
“One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” -Brene Brown
“Your power is in your story and all the wisdom it has brought you.” -Angela Mayah Solstice
1 Story of Impact
It was the fall of 2013 and I was introduced to Professor Joshua Hayden at Cumberland University through a mutual colleague. Josh designed a class around servant leadership and wanted to stretch his students’ minds, getting them to think about how servant leadership plays out in international, developing country communities. Josh and I immediately hit it off and started to dream about how God could use this course to impact his students and our communities in Pignon, Haiti. Josh and his students kicked off our Leadership Development programs in Haiti, which still continue to this day (although morphed and improved along the way). As life does, these trips challenged Josh and his wife Anna; they began to dream about teaching in a foreign country with their young family. In 2018, my family spent a long weekend with the Haydens in Nashville and they revealed this dream to us, asking us to pray about it. God confirmed the call and they moved to Prague, Czech Republic, in the fall of 2018, Josh teaching at AAU and Anna being available with her gifts and talents. The first two years were a struggle, with Covid shutting down their world 18 months into their commitment. They felt God’s nudge for them to stay the course and this year, God uniquely placed them to be His hands and feet. Because of the Russian and Ukrainian war, many Ukrainian refugees ended up in Prague. The week of July 4, Anna used her skills to teach a group of 20 Ukrainian children ballet, incorporating Bible lessons, crafts and other activities in their own language. Testimony after testimony came back centered around the hope and joy this gave the families whose lives have been turned upside down these past months. Josh and Anna have hosted Ukrainian and Russian students at their house, many times together, to listen to their perspectives and provide a healthy outlet during this tense period. God had been preparing the Haydens for years, uniquely placing them in this spot with their gifts and talents to help those in need. Most times, God will use your existing story, the hurts, pains, joys, and talents, if you bring all of them into the relationship. But for various reasons, we tend to hide our stories or believe God can’t use our stories for good. Where do you need to bring your story into a relationship this week? Where do you need to hold on in a tough season with the understanding that God can use this pain for His glory at some point? Be open and available with your full self as your story might be the footing someone else needs to start theirs.
