“Make known his deeds among the peoples…tell of all his wondrous works!”            (Psalm 105:1-2)

The stories in God’s Word should intrigue and inspire us and cause us to imitate the zeal of the imperfect men and women he worked through so very long ago.

When we discover Mary Magdalene weeping in the garden because Jesus was not in the tomb, we recognize this woman as fearless and courageous. She was distraught, but not paralyzed. She confronted the man she thought to be the gardener and demanded he reveal where her master’s body was hidden so she could carry it to safety. Her bravery and selflessness illustrated that when circumstances are not ideal, and actually run contrary to our expectations, that they need not immobilize us.

In fact, God often shows up and uses us especially when the circumstances we are plunged into are not the ones we would ever choose for ourselves. It’s important for women—and I daresay, men—to recognize that God can use their less-than-perfect stories to deeply impact others.

Our ordinary, not so fantastic circumstances are worth communicating — in a small group, from a stage, at a Bible study, across a cubicle, over the picket fence. God calls us to utilize where we’ve been, what he has taught us while we were there, how difficult the load was, and how he carried us through so others will be encouraged and their faith in him deepened along with our own.

Whenever we travel overseas we bring back souvenirs from our trips for those whom we love. For instance, when we went on pilgrimages years ago to Israel, we would make a stop in the valley of Elah, walk in that dry riverbed, and pick up stones.

We brought those smooth rocks back for our children, nieces, and nephews and explained, “These are similar to the ones that David used to kill Goliath. Keep it as a souvenir, a reminder that when the Spirit of Living God is in you there is nothing impossible he can’t accomplish through your life.”

David and Mary and the host of other flawed characters in the Bible impact us significantly through their stories. God wants to pour himself through us, too, into the lives of those around us. He wants us to help others find Jesus right there in their stories.

May he give us the grace and boldness to keep telling his story.

Elizabeth A Mitchell

Photo Credit: Ave Calvar Martinez