I love to read those great stories in the Bible of adventure, intrigue, and excitement. Stories that trace the steps, and journal the adventures, of those individuals who set their sights on living life to the full, even if it meant facing insurmountable odds and overwhelming obstacles. Their stories have been saved for each future generation to read, enjoy and learn. Learn what? What am I supposed to learn from the story of Abraham, or Moses, or Joseph, or Peter, Paul, Jesus, and countless others?

Well, there is a vast amount of lessons to be learned, but there is one that I would like for us to think about: just as certain as we see their stories unfold before us from the pages of Scripture, our stories are unfolding day by day and moment by moment. So, the question is, what is your story? If you were to sit quietly for a while and consider seriously your life up to this point, what story would you see unfolding as you mentally walked through the memories of your past?

Some would probably think that they really don’t have a story worth considering, much less one worth sharing. But I would dare to suggest that you would be wrong. Every life has a story, and every story is worth sharing.

As I sit here at the age of 64, and think back over my life, I might think that it is nothing compared with the life stories of others. But, you see, that is the problem. I should not compare my life with others. I should consider my journey, mentally journaling my life experiences, and strive to see the handprint of God in that journey.

Those great Bible stories relate vastly different life journeys for each of the characters, and yet there was one  common thread: the providence of God. They may not have known what God was doing at the time (I am convinced that they did not!) but they were making their life journey under God’s clear direction. They did not always know what lay ahead for them as they made their way through life, but God was always ahead, making the way.

So, what is your story? Are you a businessman/woman, a teacher, a brick mason, a car mechanic, a ditch digger, a gardener, a farmer, a housewife? It really does not matter what you DO, but what really matters is WHO you are. Your life story unfolds day by day. It may seem to be monotonous, boring, and uneventful. But it is YOUR story. I challenge you to take a few minutes and look back. If you look closely you will see His handprint. You will be able to detect that unseen hand of providence which has led you, and brought you to where you are now.

And now, I further challenge each of us to make our story known. Share it with your family, your friends, your work associates. Share it when you have the opportunity to strike up a conversation with that person you just met. Be sure to include in your story how you were totally unaware of God’s presence during each chapter of your journey, but that now, as you look back, you see His handprint everywhere. Let your story become His story.

When we begin to purposely look for His handprint, we will begin to see that life has not been monotonous, boring and uneventful. Rather, it has been a journey of walking His path, experiencing His appointments, and growing in our awareness of His presence.