Four Steps To Powerfully Share Your Story

When I was in grad school, I played the piano for a church of a hundred people on a good Sunday. Our pastor was a former missionary to Laos during the Vietnam War. Every so often on a Sunday night, he would spend the whole sermon telling a story from his days as a missionary that had me on the edge of the pew. 

Those stories put flesh and bones on what it meant to live out a life of faith. For this young college girl, Pastor Gustafson’s stories helped me believe in a God who still does miracles and understand the cost of following Him. 

You, too, have a story to tell. It might be what drew you to COMPEL Pro in the first place.

If you aren’t sure where to start, let’s look at some considerations and then four C’s to share your story well. 

First, where are you in the story? Is the story still developing? Have you processed the pain and primary struggle, or is there much more to work through? Your story doesn’t need to be completely resolved before sharing it, but if you write from a place of healing rather than confusion, you’ll be able to offer what God has taught you and show that change is possible. 

Second, is this only your story? Not every story is ours to tell, even if we had a part in it. Telling someone else’s story can have legal, moral, and relationship ramifications. If others are involved, you may need to separate your story without implicating them or get their permission. 

Third, it’s not about you. God is the hero. As believers, our testimony should always point others to God and His faithfulness. Philippians 2:3 teaches that we’re to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit” (ESV). As Christians, we don’t write to make a name for ourselves but to glorify God and make Him known. 

Once you’ve worked through these considerations, you’re ready to share your story. Every good story has an arc with four C’s. 

1. Circumstance: Begin with the circumstance that led to your pain point. Describe that issue or struggle.
   
2. Conflict: Explain the conflict between your pain or struggle and God’s Truth.
   
3. Change: Explain how God met and changed you through that struggle or pain.
   
4. Consequence: Share what you learned that others could apply in their life.

Here’s how I’d work through these four steps in an example. Say someone received an unexpected diagnosis (circumstance) that caused doubts about God to surface (conflict). As she went to Scripture, her understanding of God’s goodness shifted to align with the Bible (change). Now, sharing her story and these truths about God’s goodness can help others deepen their faith in their storm (consequence). 

Your story helps put flesh and bones on what it means to live out a life of faith for someone else. If God has given you the nudge to share, work through the four C’s to tell your story for God’s glory. 

Cheering you on,
Lisa

Is your story ready to be told? Is it your story to tell? If so, work through the four C’s to create the outline arc of your story.