Day 19: Sharing Our Stories
Introduction: The Highlight Reel vs. The Documentary
Go on any social media platform and what do you see? You see the highlight reel. The perfect vacation, the smiling family, the new car, the successful career move. Everyone’s life looks like a blockbuster movie trailer. It’s all the best moments, cut together with a great soundtrack. But we all know that’s not the whole story.
A documentary is different. It shows the struggle. It shows the “behind the scenes” moments, the failures, the doubts, the long, hard work it took to get to the victory. It tells the real story.
Let me ask you: When you’re in church, are you showing people your highlight reel? Or are you willing to let them see the documentary of what God is actually doing in your life?
Scripture: Revelation 12:11 (ESV) – “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
Devotional
This might be one of the most powerful and underutilized practices in the entire Christian life. We are saved by the blood of the Lamb—that is foundational. That is everything. But the Bible gives us a second weapon right alongside it: the word of our testimony. This is how we enforce the victory that Jesus already won.
For many years, all I wanted to show was my highlight reel—the highs, never the lows. But one day God showed me something powerful: sometimes, people identify more with our brokenness than our highlights. The profound truth is we are all broken before God, but God through what Jesus did on the cross can make us whole.
And we need to be clear about what a testimony is. It’s not a highlight reel of your accomplishments. A true, biblical testimony is the documentary of your weakness and God’s strength. It’s the story of your brokenness and His redemption. It’s you pointing to a scar in your life and saying, “This is where God healed me,” or pointing to a “stone of remembrance” and saying, “This is what God brought me through.” This doesn’t mean we can’t share our victories—celebrating God’s blessings is a powerful witness! It simply means our stories are most authentic when they show the whole picture: His strength in our weakness and His goodness in our joy.
The devil loves a silent church. He loves a church where everyone is polished, perfect, and pretending. Why? Because in a church like that, anyone who is actually struggling feels isolated and alone. They look at all the highlight reels and think, “I’m the only one who’s a mess.”
But when we have the courage to share our real story—when we share the documentary—we do more than just help ourselves. We strengthen the entire Body of Christ. This kind of open fellowship fosters deeper unity and tells the devil to his face that his power over our past is broken. It looks at a brother or sister who is struggling in the dark and turns on a light for them, letting them know they are not alone. This is how we move from a collection of strangers to a deeply connected family. Of course, this requires wisdom. Sharing our deepest scars requires discernment, trust, and the right moment. But when we commit to walking in the light together, we create that very safe space for one another.
Your story—your real one, with all the mess—is a weapon. It’s time we started using it.
Additional Scripture for Meditation
- Psalm 66:16 (ESV): “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.”
- Acts 1:8 (ESV): “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…”
- 1 John 1:7 (ESV): “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Reflection
- Gut Check: What part of your “documentary”—your real story of struggle and grace—are you most afraid to share with other believers? Why?
- Think about a time when hearing someone else’s honest testimony gave you hope or made you feel less alone. What was it about their story that had such an impact?
- What is the difference between giving a testimony for God’s glory versus sharing a story for your own attention or sympathy?
Practical Application
- Share One Scene: This week, your challenge is to prayerfully share one “scene” from your documentary with a trusted person or group in our church. It doesn’t have to be the whole story. Just one moment where you were weak and God was strong.
- Ask for the Story: Instead of just asking “How are you?”, ask a deeper question this week. Find a friend and say, “What’s a story of God’s faithfulness in your life that I might not know?” Then, just listen.
- Write It Down: Take 15 minutes this week and write down one “stone of remembrance” story. Write out what the struggle was and how God showed up. Having it written down will give you the courage to share it when the time is right.
Prayer
Father, forgive us for hiding. Forgive us for showing a highlight reel when you want to use our whole documentary for Your glory. Give us the courage to be honest—first with You, and then with each other. Heal us from the fear of being judged, and give us wisdom in our sharing. Remind us that our testimony is not about our greatness, but about Yours. Help us to be a church that overcomes by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of our story of Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.