There you are back in high school and it's the night of the school talent show. Of course, anyone performing a dance will be going first and you are one of them. You have spent hours practicing, confident you have perfected the steps and timing you put with the music. Game face on, you are ready! And that's when you hear it, your stomach drops. It's your music...but you're not dancing to it. How can this be!? How could they let two dancers perform the same song? You pull back the curtain with dread and watch the other dancer. After a few minutes of telling yourself that 'everything will be fine' and taking some calming breaths, a slow smile spreads across your face and a glimmer of hope grows that maybe all of your hard work is not lost after all. As you listen and as you watch, you notice the other dancer's timing is different than yours. You notice their movements are portraying something different than what yours will. It is then that you realize that though the background music may be the same, each of your movements and timing are telling a very different story. And your unique story, the timing you have put to your movements; that changes everything!
God designed my heart with a passion to encourage people where they are at and inspire them to grow beyond where they have been. And I am blessed to have a sister who shares that heart (and who can help broaden our audience with her “tech” skills that I have NONE of). For a couple of years now I have felt the Lord prompting me to share my story and my passions with the hope that I can encourage and inspire others. There was only one problem though, me! I could not get the phrase “there is nothing new under the sun” out of my head. Over and over again I would tell myself “your story Beth, the journey you have been on and the things that you find joy in have already been shared so many times before, it's not new, so it's not worth sharing”. It took me months to finally get over this, get my mind and my self out of the way, and let the simple words the Lord kept whispering to me sink in. “It's all about the timing, it's all about the timing”. All throughout history stories of pain, joy, hardships, laughter etc., have been repeated. They can virtually be the same story but the author of the story and the time in which it was shared made all the difference. A word spoken before can have a fresh new impact today and be just as powerful as it was before, if not more so.
It seems so logical right? But how often do we get caught up in not sharing our story, our passions, our joys with others because we don't see the impact and encouragement it might have for someone else? God has designed each of us so uniquely for a reason, but how often do we get stuck in the doubts and fears in our minds instead of what He can do through and in spite each of us?
Imagine the impact we could have if we are willing to let God use our story, in His perfect timing. Imagine if we didn't get caught up in our fears, doubts or worries--if we just breathe and watch God work as we take action and be all He has designed us to be.
With a fresh excitement I am taking the leap to daily remind myself to share my story and trust that God’s timing is far better than I could ever imagine. Will you join me? Let's watch and see what God is up to.
-Beth