I was 16 years old and about 100 pounds soaking wet.
My friend’s dad, Mr. Evans, gathered up a few of us teenagers and drove us to a church just outside my hometown. We were going to give our testimonies at a Saturday night gathering of strangers. I’d never stood behind a podium, spoken into a mic, or stared at a sea of faces thinking I had something to say.
When my name was called, I walked up the stage steps, took a deep breath, and told all those staring eyes about how Jesus plucked me out of a home filled with alcohol abuse and violence, and about parents who fought all the time, and about hiding in the closet. I also told them about the woman who introduced me to Jesus and how I accepted Him as my Savior when I was fourteen. I told them how Jesus was making me not so afraid anymore, and how I was praying for my parents to know Jesus too.
Was I eloquent? No. Did I quote Scripture? aNo. Were there tears? Yes. Was it impactful? Yes.
There wasn’t much room left at the front of the sanctuary when Mr. Evans gave the altar call that night.
And so it began…me learning just how important stories are.
I didn’t know this verse then, but I know it now: “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me” (Psalm 66:16 NLT).
Every redemptive story, like a raw seed, cannot realize its potential until it is planted in the heart of another human being. And a plant born of a seed will become a plant that bears more seeds. Make no mistake about it. Your story matters. Don’t be afraid to tell it!
Know this: The devil doesn’t want you to tell your story of what God has done in your life. He wants you to keep it bottled up and hidden away in the back of the pantry where no one can find it.
He doesn’t want you to tell how you traded in your anger and resentment for God’s grace and forgiveness. How you traded in your feelings of condemnation and self-loathing for freedom and a new beginning. How you traded in your broken pieces for a beautiful masterpiece.
Don’t do it, he whispers. They won’t like you. They’ll think badly of you. They’ll reject you. Don’t do it. You’ll regret it. Once it’s out there, it’s out there. As long as nobody knows, you’ll be accepted.
But here’s the truth: If you listen to the wrong voice, you will make the wrong choice. The devil will do everything he can to keep you silent. He knows that your willingness to place your story in God’s holy hands will lead to full redemption, where, in the words of Beth Moore, “the pain is treated and turned around so thoroughly that it not only loses its power to do you harm but also gains the power to do some good.”
When I first felt God calling me to share with others how He had redeemed my past, I argued just a bit. “But God,” I cried, “There are some things about my life I don’t want to tell.” And then I sensed Him saying, Would you rather people think well of you, or of Me?
At that point, I had a decision to make, and I’ve never regretted the transparency He’s called me to. It could very well be that my mess could be the message that ushers in the miracle in someone else’s life. If I refuse to speak up, God will choose someone else who will, and I will miss the blessing.
So, don’t hide your story. Own it! Tell it! Rejoice in it! Realize that no matter what has happened in your life—your lows, your disappointments, and your struggles—can be the most compelling parts of your story. People will rally around you, and you will find love and connection in the process. If you are willing, your wounds can become the source of your greatest strengths.
God may not be calling you to tell your story in an auditorium full of strangers, but He is calling you to tell your story to someone. Look for that person you can trust with your heart—someone with whom you can feel totally exposed and completely loved at the same time. Then take the first step and tell your story.
Father, thank You for giving me a new ending to my story. I pray You will give me opportunities to tell others what You’ve done for me, and that I won’t hold anything back. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Have you ever told your story? Start by telling three statements: This is who I was. This is what Jesus did for me. This is who I am now. Click on comment and share your three statements.
Your story matters, and someone needs to hear it. But are you ready? Has the healing happened? If you know you have a story to tell but not sure where to begin, this book is for you. When You Don’t Like Your Story: What if Your Worst Chapters Could Become Your Greatest Victories.
© 2024 by Sharon Jaynes. All rights reserved.
Comments 47
This is who I was. This is what Jesus did for me. This is who I am now.
Praise the Lord! 🙏🏾✝️
This is who I was: I was a scared, insecure, hesitant, tearful, kind, sensitive child and young adult.
This is what Jesus did for me: At the lowest point in my life—when my first baby died shortly after birth—Jesus wrapped his arms around me (via the strong arms of my husband), set out all the pots, pans, and buckets in which to collect my tears, sorrow, fear, and guilt, and built a massive silo to contain the overflow of my heavy heart and empty arms. With tender lovingkindness, he grew a tree of relationships around me, uplifting my wizened branches.
This is who I am now: I am an imperfect, yet perfectly love and forgiven, believer in my Savior Jesus Christ, enamored by, and a testament to, God’s divine grace and hope.
Author
Praise God!
Wow! That is a wonderful story. Heartbreakingly beautiful of what God will do in us and for us. Thanks for sharing. ❤️
This is who I was.
A very proud woman who didn’t need anyone in her life. This wreaked havoc on my marriage.
This is what Jesus did for me.
He stripped me of my pride and restored my marriage.
This is who I am now.
I try to focus more on Christ and others than on myself. Dying to self is a mantra I try to live by, albeit different. Before, it would not even been on my radar.
Praise the Lord! 🙏🏾✝️
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I was a wife a cheating husband d and divorce after 34 yrs of marriage.
When he told me he was leaving I we t to Gods word, opened my bible and he put my eyes on the passage. If he does for a sparrow………………
Now years later I am still I. His word and my latest adventure is called
Pathway to Purpose and I am excited to grow more for Him.❤🙏❤
I am ready to share my story but need to find the courage to do so. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!
I was broken and confused . Jesus healed me and calmed my anxiety.
I will serve Him and sow seeds of love. I am not afraid!
I was lost. I was living a life of a party girl; too much alcohol, too much sex. I was hiding behind the pain of lonliness and wanting to be loved. I went back home. I prayed. Our pastor loved me where I was and encouraged me to go to Bible study.
Jesus came to me in a dream and I was never the same.
I want to tell people that there is peace and hope in Jesus. He will never leave us or desert us.
Thank you for this beautiful message today! Jesus has brought me through so much trauma in my life and has healed my brokenness with His love and forgiveness. The body of Christian believers can be the most judgmental and rejecting!! I’ve learned the hard way to ask the Lord for His wisdom and discernment with whom to share my story. I’m forever grateful for the love and healing Jesus has shown me as He is completely trustworthy and faithful!!! Many women suffer depression and anxiety in the church because of their past and not knowing the truth about the depth of love, compassion and forgiveness Jesus offers! When Jesus sets us free we are free indeed!! 💕🎉🙏
Thank you for sharing your story here! What a beautiful story of God’s redemptive grace! Keep telling it! And keep walking with Jesus! It will be worth it all!
I was a lonely, depressed, and suicidal middle aged empty nester who thought I no longer had a purpose in my life. My depression had sunk so low that I was hearing voices and seeing things that weren’t really there. It’s real; I was diagnosed as having major depression recurrent, severe, with psychotic features. I decided to try to let Jesus in my life as a last resort; what else did I have to lose. He picked me up, dusted me off and wrapped his arms around me. When I was coming out of it, with the help of counseling and medications, I often imagined myself under water and Jesus holding out his hand, pulling me up. It was a long process and I continue to struggle with depression but now I’m a worshipping believer who knows I’m a child of God. I know I have a purpose.
Author
Yes you do! You have a great purpose! You are brave and spiritually beautiful.
This is who I was: Lost, lonely, even in a crowded room, looking for anything to numb myself, searching for more of something, but unsure of what.
This is what Jesus did for me: He made sure that I met a man who loved Him and would eventually love me the way a husband is supposed to love his wife. A man who had a determination to make sure I met and accepted Jesus as my Savior!
This is who I am now: I am a sinner, saved by the amazing grace of Jesus! I am able to walk with my head held high and tell people all about the work Jesus has done in my life! He pursued me, even when I had no idea of Who He was. He carried me out of the darkness that I was lost in, and He brought me to His glorious light!
Thank you for this beautiful reminder today, Sharon. I have given my testimony a few times to the youth at our church, and each time the enemy has tried to convince me that I shouldn’t do it. I had a wise woman tell me that if God brought me to it, He will certainly bring me through it, and she was so right! Yes, it’s a very scary thing to think about standing in front of that room, especially a room filled with young people who we definitely want to make a positive impact on, and tell of our past. But each time I have done it, I have touched many lives that maybe if they didn’t hear my story would have taken a different path. All glory to God! He will put you in front of the ones He knows needs to hear it! Thank You Jesus!
Author
Praise God!
I was broken, never truly comfortable being myself in my first marriage. I kept trying to be the person everyone else expected me to be. Embracing my husband’s family values, traditions and beliefs and basically pushing my own to the side. When I finally realized what I was doing and that I missed out on so much of who I was truly meant to be, I found the courage with God’s help to redefine who I was meant to be. I took control of my life and started Fresh. God had never left my side and today I have A wonderful Christian husband and step sons and grandchildren. My husband and I do things we enjoy together and I never have to pretend to be someone else. My kids and stepsons and their significant others know they can depend on me and they love me for who I am. My Jesus has Never left my side. One day at a time is how I live my life now.
Author
Wonderful story!
Sharon, your story is much like mine. I grew up with an alcoholic dad and there was much fighting in our home. Instead of hiding, I ran next door to my uncles house for fear they would hurt each other. I also had a family who took me to church but I was not saved til I was 18 years old. He gave me the hope I desperately needed and an avenue to help my parents. I prayed and asked for His help. It’s because of him I survived. As a result of my salvation and dependence on Him, my family came to know the Lord. Today I look back and see how He helped me survive and become the wife, mother and grandmother that I hoped to be. From a scared little girl to a Jesus girl, the path was rocky at times but He never left my side. Thank you Jesus!
Author
Beauty from ashes! Love it!
Oh praise God! I remember being told at age 36 that I had Multiple Sclerosis which had me hospitalized, then a year later being diagnosed with breast cancer, then a bad car accident, then two years later breast cancer returned , and heart failure following that! I thought to myself…God why is all this happening to me ,but through all these trials & tribulations God never forsaken me! My faith grew stronger ,and my relationship with God, and through all of this I was able to help others by sharing Gods grace & mercy he had shown me….God is so awesome!
Author
I am ready Job right now in my daily Bible study. But I already know how it ends:) God blessed him more in the end than he had in the beginning!!!
Who I was: A divorced mother trying to raise a Special Ed child without any knowledge of what to do in any area (nurture, discipline, motivate, etc.) with a secondary level college degree and no child support.
No clue whatsoever!
How Jesus helped me: Giving me the courage to stay the
course and truly learn the concept of on the job training. Mostly He helped me with the most important decision in this journey. That was to not consider the advice to place her in a home that specializes in this behavior.
Where we are today: She is now 48 years old. Even though she dropped out in the 11th grade, she has absorbed life’s curriculum and become quite a special lady. She is smart, funny and has a good head on her shoulders. She still has her hot headed tendencies but calms herself after some time alone. This is the downside of the gene pool. Her father was a hot head and quick to lash out. That is why I am divorced. I was just plain scared of him. In addition she has a daughter of her own who is special needs. This has come full circle as my granddaughter has inherited her father’s personality. Another on the job training. But…my advice to her has always been the same. That is to not take out her feelings out on her child. She is her own person and does not deserve the message that should be directed to her father. She and I continue to forge ahead each with our own set of challenges.
Author
Awesome!
I was an adulteress wife living in an incredibly sin filled, mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive marriage for 31 years. I finally left for good 5 years ago and persued God and his ways more than ever. Today I am sold out on living my life with God as the leader pruning me and loving me. He is healing my brokenness, showing me how to live with the grace and love he has given me. I am humbled, whole and happy. I am able to be a better Mom and now a Grammy to my one and only granddaughter. I pray for healing and salvation for my daughter through the healing love God has given me.
Author
Amen sister!
Thank you Sharon.
I have read and taught many of your studies over the last 5 years in my healing. I am so grateful for you, your story and your “yes” to God’s will for your life. I am a better me because of it. I feel seen, heard and ready to move in God’s will for me. A very heart felt thank you. 🙏
I was a hurt and broken young woman, searching for love in wrong ways, wrong people and wrong places. Jesus showed me what love really is – what it looks like in action. Now I am redeemed, chosen and fully loved.
Author
Amen!!!!!! Love it.
How do you tell your story when it is has so many layers or disgust and grime of what others have done to you? Of what you’ve done or didn’t do through all the days the layers kept building until all you can see is what you could’ve, should’ve done? How do you tell your story when you’ve never told a soul other than Jesus all of it? How do you even trust? How? Fragments of the particles of life have built such a layer of filth I don’t even know where to begin. Wash me clean Jesus and help me trust.
Author
That is exactly why I wrote the book When You Don’t Like Your Story. There is a way to the other side of a bad story.
Tangela,
It’s ok not to have all the details worked out. It’s part of the process and sometimes very private. But what you can tell is that you were broken, you had a moment that changed how you wanted to live, and now how God is molding you glorify Him.
Don’t over complicate the details. Work those out with a counselor, pastor or trusted Godly friend. I know how badly they can hurt. They are important and they are part of your story. Always tell of God’s goodness and how it has changed your life. That’s the great news. Your story matters. It’s ok if it’s in progress.
God bless you sister.
I was a sinner.
Jesus saved me when I was 13 yrs old!
I am a 71 yo woman fully devoted to Christ!
Thank you Jesus!
God Bless you my sisters in Christ!
I was a broken, hopeless person. I lost my only sister in high school in a car accident and my dad to suicide as an adult.
Why do bad things always happen to me? Why can’t I just live a normal happy life with a complete family? Why can’t my kids have the stability and love from their Grandpa that they used to?
What happened to my rock?
In sitting in my misery and sorrow I too started have suicidal thoughts…..constantly.
Through lots of prayers and counseling I found HOPE. I have found my reason for living, and the reason behind the tragedies in my life. It was to help others find hope.
With the support of so many, I started a non profit to share my story, to help others and to inspire others to do the same.
We all have a story.
I am enough.
I was the product of a Christian compassionate mother and an alcoholic abusive father. I had glaring examples of both right and wrong in my life. I chose wrong and had my own journey of alcoholism, drug addiction and bad relationships. God changed me. There is no other way to describe it. It wasn’t overnight or painless but a wonderful change has come over me. I am 38 years drug and alcohol free and Blessed with a calling to preach the Word of God. At the ripe young age of 66 I preached my 1st sermon this year. All Glory to God!
Author
I’m so proud of you!
Excellent. As an introvert, I found it hard to share my story, but it is amazing to see what God has done in me and through my story. God will empower us to share His story in our lives. I have traveled the nation for many years now sharing Jesus and the abundant life He gives! From abject poverty, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and much trauma, I have a life that doesn’t even resemble that one. I have been serving God for 50 years, and have had the joy of raising three children, and I am now involved in the lives of eight grandchildren. I have bee telling my story for 30 years. It is amazing what God can do for others when we simply say what he has done for us. I am a new creation, blessed beyond anything I could have dreamed as a child.
A special woman lead me and taught me about Jesus. That woman was my Momma. My Momma was deeply rooted in faith, in our church. My Dad ran around on my Momma, drank heavily. Come in drunk, abusive. My Momma took all her children to church every time the doors opened. She had bible studies with us and constantly talked about Jesus, how to walk with Jesus, how to praise his wonderful name. Momma never gave up on praying for Daddy, after 35 years of marriage they divorced. I didn’t know about the love of my a Daddy but I learned of the love my Father in heaven had for me. I watch my Momma go through hard financial crisis,looking for a job when all she had known was being a stay at home Momma. I was 13 when I got saved and filled with the holy spirit. Then when I was 20 a married a man that said he’d go to church with me. Be there for me. But life brought me a man that was physically and mentally abusive. He decided he didn’t believe in God. He started going to Jehovah Witness. He became argumentative over religion. We had a daughter that I took to church with me. Raising her in my Church of God. I feared if I divorced he would have her at the Jehovah Witness meetings so I took his abusive. I didn’t want her mind all confused between what I believed and what he would teach her. Today I have raised 2 daughters. They tell me often how much they love me, how much they appreciate my sacrifice of protecting and raising them to know Jesus. However they say they are heartbroken that I stayed in the marriages being abused and not loved. They see their Dad as the man he is. He is a sinner, he isn’t a loving compassionate man. Like my Mother I will continue to pray for his salvation. My Daddy received Jesus into his heart when he was near 70 years old. Prayer works when God is ready to answer. I am now 70 years of age, with tons of health issues and heart ache. I’m still here under the same roof with the same man I married 50 years ago. Still crying out to my Father above, please help me Lord Jesus. The battle still rages, he is still verbally abusive, he does not love me, he is still here destroying my every being. I’m lost at what I can do at my age and health. So right now this very moment I’m clinging on to Gods promises, he said he would never leave me or forsake me. Sharon, thank you for this platform to allow me to tell my story. I ask for prayer from those whom will lift me up. I need Jesus every step I make every day I need him.
This is who I was: a young girl who was molested and promiscuous
This is what JESUS did for me: He began to heal those wounds as they came to the surface because I has suppressed so much
This is who I am now: A redeemed daughter and going through the process of being completely and totally and fully restored.
Author
Hallelujah!
This is who I was- Scared of how I would make it through after I lost my job due to funding back in June/2022. I am still unemployed waiting for God to Bless me with the right job as I continue to search on. Each day God provides for me in every aspect of my life!
This is what God did for me- While being unemployed God provided me the time, patience & strength to continue on with the long process of getting my student loans forgiving. In May/2023 all my student loans were forgiving (over 100,000) in student loan debt all forgiving. I’m still in awe of it! That is the hand of God. What is most important to me, is the timing of it all. Being unemployed & was worried about my finances & the biggest financial debt I had, was all wiped out & forgiving during this time while unemployed. Glory be to God!
This is who I am- A faith filled child of the most high! Knowing that no matter what I face that God can & will turn it all around in his timing. Blessing me with beauty from ashes. Reminding me of if he did it all once before he is able & willing to get me through again & again. All praises be to my Lord Christ & SAVIOR. AMEN AMEN & AMEN!!!
From a very young age I desired to be loved. I have always felt I had so much love to give and that I just loved people. As I got older I became even more lovable but the love I gave was taken advantage. Older men were always touching me in the wrong places saying this was how love was. At 16 I lost my virginity to my first boyfriend thinking this was love. It didn’t work out, I was crushed and never stopped loving him. Got married and did everything I thought a wife and mother could do. 26 years of mental and physical abuse and so many other womens. He died. Got married again to someone I had dated for about year in my early 20’s. In less than 6 months he was cheating on me. I could not figure out why I wasn’t love. The friends I thought I had were acting different. I was being talked about everywhere I went. After 16 years with him, he died. I had a relationship with God and I begin to pray and ask God what was wrong with me. I found myself alone, crying a lot, still trying to love people. Started to even have problems with the friends that were in church with me until one day I heard God speaking to me. I let people go, I looked at myself and I know longer had pity parties. I felt worthy, good enough and I knew Jesus loved me. So I started to love me and to worship and serve the Lord. That was about 6 months ago and I have no regrets. I still love people but I don’t chase them. Me and God now. I follow his directions. Is my life easy now? Is everyday free of problems? No but I know the problem solver. I am still a work in progress but I am thankful to God. I am good enough, I am loved.
I was so lost and filled with not feeling worthy. Jesus picked me up, accepted, saved and redeemed me. He told me who I am and that I am His and always will be. I no longer live my life to be accepted by others. I am free to live my life as the beloved daughter of the King and to love others for His glory not their acceptance.
This is who I was: I was lonely, rejected, unloved, emotionally abused by my husband of 40 years. He cheated on me and left me. About a month later he tried to commit suicide (unsuccessfully) and on the same day took the life of the woman he was involved with. This happened nine years ago. Needless to say my life was turned upside down.
This is what Jesus did for me: On this tragic night I received peace from Jesus beyond what I have ever known. The first scripture from Holy Spirit that I heard was Proverbs 3: 5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding, in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight. This is is when I clung to Jesus and dug in. He continued to grow my trust in Him, He continued covering me with His peace every day. I truly found peace beyond my understanding.
This is who I am now: Today nine years later I can say I have been blessed beyond measure. Jesus has given so much back to me that was stolen. I am content, I am at peace, I am full of His joy. I have forgiven my ex-husband and I have let go of all resentment, bitterness and hurt from the past. God has allowed me to tell my story in the work place, going about my day, in the market place. When God opens the door I step through it. God reminds me every day of His great love for me, His protection, His peace. Every chance I get to tell of His goodness in my life God reminds me it’s not so much about the event that happened but it truly is about what God did for me during the difficult situation.
This is who I was. I was addicted to doing something bad in God’s eyes. I was also shy and timid. This is what Jesus did to me. He broke the shackles of my addiction. He also gave me boldness and guts to speak and took away my shyness and timidness.. This is whom I am now. I’m able to stop that habit and now I am outgoing and energetic and friendly towards people.
Thank you for sharing your story. I have shared a portion of my story twice…I know I was led by the Holy Spirit. Have not done so since. To explain makes me feel fearful, vulnerable among other emotions. My story (as I am sure many others also) has had some very rough ruts in it as my story continues. Still I can trust in my Father & fully know He’s in charge & has purpose in my life….but to share?!?
Hello Sharon,
Great message, and it is important to embrace our story. When we share the breakthrough in our own lives , it builds bridges to reach other individuals. Our God story is worthy to share, and we all have messes, and it is okay! We all have a new day for fresh mercy. We are all blessed!!
Thank you very much for this wonderful message.
I don’t know my story. I know I am not where I once was but no where near where I want to be. I have memory problems so I don’t remember when I first got saved, I have since rededicated my life and I know where but I can not tell you when.
I am dealing with things from my past that I have not been able to overcome just yet. I know he has forgiven me but I have not been able to forgive myself. I had an abortion when I was 20 years old, I have cheated on my husband (he does not know), I have very low self-esteem and do not see myself as God see’s me (I want to but not there yet). But I am working on myself and other issues. I do know that God has never left me for a day (even though I fall short every day), I do know God loves me (I just don’t love myself) and I love God.
I am so grateful for his forgiveness, love, grace and mercy!!