Rejoice! AND Be Glad

Raise your right hand if everything you planned for your life turned out like you expected.

Now, bend your other arm across the top of your head and grab your right elbow with your left hand while shaking your right palm in the air.

Got that?

Awesome!

Now shake your right hand really quickly and wave your arm around.

I certainly don’t want to miss noticing that your hand is raised.

And would it be rude of me to ask you to move that sofa pillow right there so I can sit by you and listen to your story?

OH MY GOODNESS

sigh

I could just squeal with excitement.

I LOVE a good story.

And I want to hear you tell it

with all your heartfelt expressions

and deep swirling emotions…

…stories of the past…

…stories of your life…

…stories about your kids…

…stories about your marriage…

…stories about your job…

…your mission work…

…your tour of duty…

I just can’t help myself.

I love a good story.

Did you save me a seat?

I’m anxious to listen.

But for those of you who didn’t raise your hand,

if your shoulders are kinda drooping in defeat,

you’re tired,

worn down,

frazzled actually,

life’s been hard and beat you up quite a bit,

if your dreams didn’t turn out the way you expected…

if your heart has tears

and scars

and your life plans went awry,

and you really don’t know what to say OR how to say it,

well my goodness dear,

you STILL have a story worth telling!!!

And I want to hear that too.

You don’t even need to save me a seat.

I’d be willing to stand on a street corner

downtown Indianapolis

in the July sunshine to hear your story.

That story, your story, was written just about you.

There is no one who can be more like you than you.

No one who can tell your story as you do.

Just look at you standing there.

Square your shoulders tall.

You’re strong.

You’re an overcomer.

An achiever.

And those scars and tears all over your heart,

THEY have written your story.

Each new day is a chance to begin again,

to start over

chart a new path.

It’s an opportunity for the next chapter of your story to be written.

Written just about you …amazing you!

Psalm 118:24