Know Your Story

Scripture Text: Acts 22:1-22

Regardless of the topic you can always find someone who does not believe the claims you are making. When the topic is Jesus, it does not take long to find people who will discredit the Gospel account as told in Scripture. When Paul finds himself confronted by the crowd he does not turn to a set of Scriptural proof texts. Paul tells the people the story of how he encountered the resurrected Christ and what life has been like since.

After telling our story people will continue to debate the validity of our beliefs, however, they will not be able to argue with the change in our lives. Paul highlights how he persecuted the Way of Jesus before his conversion, and contrasts it with how he serves and communicates with God now. People in the crowd continued to debate about Jesus but the change in Paul was not debatable.

At the root of this is Paul being clear about the story God had written in his life. Not all of us will have a Paul like story, most will not. Yet we all have a story about how the love and grace of Jesus transformed our lives. This is a story we must know well so we can tell others the story, and so we can tell ourselves the story when we are facing times of trial. It could be that Paul was telling the crowd and reminding himself of how Jesus took hold of his life.

It is essential for a married couple to take time and remember their story. This is why those anniversary dates are so important. Beyond the date of the wedding, it is important to remember the first date and other significant moments in the relationship. All of these moments compose the story that is being written with your lives. Remember the significant moments are not limited to only the positive moments. Some of the most meaningful times in our relationship have been the result of some of the most challenging times.

Knowing your story as a couple is important for the same reasons Paul knowing his story was important. People can question your beliefs but they cannot question the story of your lives. Further, there will be times when we need to remember our story because the storms of life are raging and we need the story of our past to anchor our hope for the future.