How to Remember Your Story in the Context of God’s Story
A Living Letter
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.”
—2 Corinthians 3:2
If an adult child, grandchild, or dear friend asked you to tell the most important stories of your life, where would you begin?
Most of us have never considered how to share and reflect on the key stories of our lives. Yet, these stories matter deeply—to God, to us, and to the generation that will walk behind us.
Frederick Buechner wrote,
Maybe nothing is more important than that we keep track, you and I, of these stories of who we are and where we have come from and the people we have met along the way because it is precisely through these stories in all their particularity…that God makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and personally.
—Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets: A Memoir
I believe he’s right. Our stories have been authored by the God who created the universe. For this reason, they matter.
In this column, I often write about how the ordinary stories of our lives become places where we discover God’s grace. Consider subscribing.Subscribe
A Name Story
Do you know the story of how you got your name? Have you ever told anyone that story?
I was given the name Elizabeth McIntyre Reynolds at birth. As the story goes, my father named me after Queen Elizabeth I, the one who lived during the time of Shakespeare. My father was an English professor, and he enjoyed the fact that my initials, “E. R.” for Elizabeth Reynolds, matched the queen’s royal insignia, E.R. for “Elizabeth Regina.” He instructed me never to shorten my name—I was not “Beth” or “Betty” or even “Eliza.” I was “Elizabeth.” As an adult, I relaxed my dad’s rules a bit—my husband sometimes calls me Lizzy, and in a few contexts, I went and still go by “Liz.”
I have always wished that I were named for a different Elizabeth—the Elizabeth of the Bible, the one who encouraged her younger cousin Mary when she discovered she was pregnant with Jesus. In Hebrew, the name Elizabeth loosely translates into “God is my Sabbath” or “My God has sworn.” I like to think that the Lord who gave me life, my Father in heaven, named me “God is my rest (Sabbath),” knowing he would be exactly that in a childhood often characterized by turmoil. I like to think my Father in heaven also named me after the Elizabeth of the Bible, and that he would make me like her, a woman who offers the rest of the gospel to other women.
Even a simple story—like how you got your name—can lead you to deeper truths about the God who has been writing your story all along.
You Are a Living Story
I am passionate about helping people record the stories of their lives because of two core beliefs:
1. You have a story to tell.
and
2. You are a story. You are God’s living story, written by God’s loving hand. Your experiences, struggles, joys, and insights are part of a spiritual legacy that can strengthen the faith, hope, and love of others.
You may wonder, what is a spiritual legacy?
English professor Dr. Daniel Taylor defines spiritual legacy as
…the unique complex of values, beliefs, insights, passions and actions that are embedded in each person’s life experiences and can be conveyed to others.
—Daniel Taylor, Creating a Spiritual Legacy
As we remember and share our spiritual legacy, we heed the call of Psalm 78:
We will not hide these truths from our children,
but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.
We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did. — Psalm 78:4, NLT
As you remember and share the stories of how God met you in times of sorrow and celebration, trial and treasure, humor and heartache, sweetness and shalom, you can expect at least three great benefits:
First, God will be delighted and praised by your efforts.
Second, you will see God’s unfailing love for you.
Third, you will rediscover the profound meaning and purpose God has written into your life.
Looking at Your Life through God’s Story of Grace
But you may object, I have so many stories! Where do I start?
The Bible itself offers a structure that can help us make sense of our lives. Scripture tells one big story—the story of God’s grace—from Genesis to Revelation.
When we look at our lives through this story, we see four chapters.
Creation
Creation tells us who we are, male and female, created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). God gave us meaning and purpose and placed us in paradise to exercise the gifts he gave us (See Gen. 1-2). This chapter of the story is characterized by shalom, a biblical word for peace, wholeness, and harmony.
The Fall
The Fall tells us why we struggle with sin and live in frustration. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they brought sin and death into the world (See Gen. 3:1-6; Romans 5:12). After the Fall, we were alienated from one another and from God. The chapter of the Fall is characterized by wrecked shalom: sin has divided what was meant to be together, distorted beauty, and fractured harmony.
Redemption
Redemption tells of a sinless Savior, Jesus Christ, who rescued us from sin and death through his death and resurrection. In this chapter of the story, shalom is partially restored. In Christ, we become “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). Because of redemption, we are being transformed into people of faith, hope, and love.
Restoration
Restoration, the grand finale of the story, tells us that all our endings are transformed into the beginning of an unending story. One day our Savior King will return and complete his kingdom work. At that time, a new chapter begins: we will live in the new heavens and new earth with God, glorifying him forever (See Revelation 21-22). In that day, there will be no more mourning, sickness, death, or tears (See Rev. 21:4).
Your Most Important Legacy
Many people think of legacy in material terms: what financial resources will I leave behind? Others think of legacy in terms of impact—working as a Big Brother or Sister, starting a soup kitchen, or teaching Bible study. But by far, the most important legacy we leave, particularly as Christians, is our spiritual legacy— or what I like to call our living story legacy.
Your life is already full of a body of stories, wisdom, convictions, and experiences that reveal God’s glorious working in your lives. It can give others hope, help them remain faithful in suffering, and encourage them to live lives of sacrificial love.
The Good News
If you believe that you are a living story with a legacy to share, you do not need to be a professional writer to share these stories.* You simply need to begin to remember.
If you would like help discovering and sharing the stories God has written into your life, I would love to walk alongside you! I am currently offering two opportunities to get you started:
Join me on Monday, March 16, at 7 p.m. Central Time for a free webinar where I’ll share more about how to begin creating your Living Story Legacy. Click here to reserve your spot.
2. The Living Story Legacy Workshop
If you’re ready to go deeper, join me and a small community of people (limit 12) working together on this meaningful task in the 6-week Living Story Legacy Workshop. The workshop is just $49, and you can use the code LSL10 to get 10% off.
A Final Invitation
You are a living story. You carry a rich body of stories that could strengthen the faith, hope, and love of children, grandchildren, and younger believers walking behind you. One day, your loved ones will wish they could hear or read your stories. Why not take the first step today toward leaving a powerful legacy?
*In the Living Story Legacy Workshop, we also discuss some alternatives to writing your stories.
Hi! I’m Elizabeth, and I love learning about older adulthood! I’m a writer, speaker, and coach who helps people navigate the issues of aging, caregiving, legacy, grief, and end-of-life. I wrote Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions about Living & Dying in Hope of Heaven and several devotionals. Every month, I send out an email with free and paid resources for aging graciously. If you’d like to get this email on the first of the month, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/b__teX.
Feature Image by Dr. Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
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