Latest / She Speaks Life - Christian Women, Strengthen Your Faith, Bible Study, Grow Spiritually In Christ / How To Share Your Story With Kate Motaung
Transcript
- 0:02Hey there, welcome back to She Seeks Life.
- 0:04Did you know that you can see this episode live along with
- 0:07others over on my YouTube channel?
- 0:10Jamie Elizabeth. She speaks live.
- 0:13Hit the subscribe button. So you will be the first to be
- 0:16alerted with newly released episodes.
- 0:20And hop on my website jamieelizabeth.com if you want a
- 0:23free gift. It's an ebook called God's ID My
- 0:27ID, which talks all about God's characteristic and how they
- 0:31apply to your life today. Okay, I'm super excited to have
- 0:36with Me author Kate Motong of Share your story, The
- 0:40Transforming Power of Telling Others What God Has Done.
- 0:45Now, if you've been listening to this podcast for a while, then
- 0:48you know that this right here is the purpose of the show.
- 0:52It comes straight out of Revelation 12/11.
- 0:56And I'm paraphrasing here that we have triumphed over the enemy
- 1:01by the blood of Jesus and by the word of our testimony that we
- 1:05didn't love our life so much that we shrunk back or were
- 1:09afraid to proclaim Jesus is the only way truth in life.
- 1:14There is so much power in our story of how God is faithful
- 1:19because it not only builds our faith but encourages others that
- 1:23they are not alone. And what God did in and through
- 1:25us, he can do it for them. I'd love in this episode how
- 1:30Kate covers the how, what, why, and when to share our story and
- 1:35how nothing is too small or too big to be a voice to help others
- 1:39know that God is for them. I love this conversation so
- 1:43much. Make sure you hit the links in
- 1:46the show notes below and check out her resources that Kate
- 1:50offers. Okay.
- 1:51Here's my conversation with my guest, Kate Motong.
- 1:56Hi Kate, Welcome to She Speaks live.
- 1:58I am so excited you have come on this show today.
- 2:03Thanks so much for inviting me, Jamie.
- 2:05This message, Oh my goodness is the heart of this podcast.
- 2:11So as soon as I saw this book that you wrote come out, I'm
- 2:15like, Oh my gosh, I gotta have Kate come on here and share her
- 2:20story. As to why you wrote this book,
- 2:22and it's called Share your story, The Transforming Power of
- 2:28Telling Others What God has Done.
- 2:31And I just love it because that is the why.
- 2:35Behind those podcasts is to share what God has done, his
- 2:39faithfulness through a woman's struggles and their experiences,
- 2:44and then sharing those encounters that they've had with
- 2:46the Lord and how he brought them through.
- 2:49So I Without others sharing their stories, I wouldn't have
- 2:54this podcast. So I just love that you wrote
- 2:57about it to give people the confidence and the clarity that
- 3:00they can share their story. So before we dive in deeper to
- 3:06this, I would love for you to share your favorite scripture
- 3:10verse because I just love how you can get to know somebody so
- 3:15much better by just hearing what their life verses.
- 3:20Yes, thank you. Well, one passage that really
- 3:24became meaningful to me when my mom was dying of cancer over 12
- 3:28years ago is from Second Corinthians, chapter 4, verses
- 3:3216 through 18. It says therefore we do not lose
- 3:36heart, though outwardly we are wasting away.
- 3:39Yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day, for our
- 3:43light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal
- 3:47glory that far outweighs them all.
- 3:50So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,
- 3:54since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- 3:59And that is just, you know, became really meaningful to me
- 4:01all those years ago when I was literally watching my mom waste
- 4:06away outwardly and yet the Lord. Sustained her faith during that
- 4:11time. And I could just see that
- 4:12inwardly she was being renewed in the midst of her illness.
- 4:16And I I would often kind of balk at that part that says for our
- 4:21light and momentary troubles. Because I thought, Lord, this
- 4:24doesn't feel anything like light or momentary, you know, it feels
- 4:28heavy and lingering and it won't end.
- 4:31And yet, in the grand scheme of things, our troubles in this
- 4:35life are truly light and momentary.
- 4:38Compared to what the verse says, the eternal glory that we can
- 4:41anticipate. And so just the idea of helping
- 4:45me to remember, not to fix my eyes and what is seen, but to
- 4:49ask the Lord to help me fix my eyes and what is unseen because
- 4:53that is truly what is eternal. I love it.
- 4:57And Kate, like, I've got just these goosebumps all over my
- 5:01body right now because I just read that scripture verse this
- 5:05morning. It it wasn't planned.
- 5:08I was just flipping through the book of Second Corinthians and I
- 5:14landed on that verse and I read it and I prayed over it and I'm
- 5:20looking at the benefits of going through troubles.
- 5:24What that means you know that we we glorify God because others
- 5:30can see God's power through us in our faith and how they're
- 5:35temporary and it's the eternal rewards that we gain far passes
- 5:41anything else. And there was five of them and I
- 5:46wish I had it right here. But there was 5 benefits in my
- 5:50little footnotes that you read at the bottom of your Bible.
- 5:54And it really was just some reassurance and some just
- 5:59reinforcing that that that is what truly matters, is us fixing
- 6:04our eyes on the Lord and not our troubles.
- 6:07Because our troubles are nothing but a vapor, right?
- 6:11It's just like it passes. And so it's hard to think that
- 6:16way when we're going through, like you said, some heavy things
- 6:20like that terminal illness or just things that totally turn
- 6:26our world upside down. But to really read what God
- 6:30promises just gives us that assurance and that comfort that
- 6:35we need when we go through trouble.
- 6:37So I love that you just shared that, Kate.
- 6:40That is so God. That is so God.
- 6:42And I even felt like the Holy Spirit said bring your Bible in
- 6:46with you. And that's the interview.
- 6:48And I could have opened it up and Oh well, so you're an
- 6:52author. You are in many publications.
- 6:56You have a writing and editing service called Refined Services.
- 7:02You host A blog called 5 minute Friday Writing Community and I
- 7:09first found out about you because you co-authored with
- 7:12Shannon Popkin and I had Shannon Popkin on here and we talked
- 7:15about influence building a platform that elevates Jesus and
- 7:19not me. And I loved reading like back
- 7:23and forth what Shannon said, what you said in the book.
- 7:25It was just so good. And then I found out you wrote a
- 7:30memoir called A Place to Land, A Story of Longing and Belonging,
- 7:34which I'm sure is just fabulous. So today we're going to talk
- 7:39about your newest book called Share your story.
- 7:43And so how did the Seed get planted in your heart to write a
- 7:47book about sharing our story? Yes, it well, as you mentioned,
- 7:51I do have a memoir called A Place to Land and this newer
- 7:55book Share your story was kind of birthed out of my experience
- 7:59in writing that book because in that book I did tell my story of
- 8:04moving from Michigan to Cape Town, South Africa, where I met
- 8:08my husband and we had our children and.
- 8:11I thought I was going to stay in Cape Town for five months and
- 8:14ended up living there for 10 1/2 years.
- 8:16I came back to Michigan now about 10 years ago with a
- 8:21husband and three kids in tow. And during the time that I was
- 8:25in South Africa was when my mom was sick with cancer and ended
- 8:28up passing away in Michigan. And so the memoir is is sort of
- 8:33revolves around the theme of home and asking the question,
- 8:36where is my home? And after my mom died, you know,
- 8:40she was a believer. Praise the Lord.
- 8:42And so the Lord used that to really help me see that I
- 8:47shouldn't actually find my true home in this life and in this
- 8:52world, whether it's in Michigan or South Africa or anywhere
- 8:55else. Because as a believer, our true
- 8:57home is with the Lord. And so that's sort of the theme
- 9:00of the memoir and. So after that book came out in
- 9:042018, I started doing more speaking on that topic.
- 9:08And I didn't want to just go to speaking events and talk more
- 9:12about me and my story because they could.
- 9:15People could already read it in the book.
- 9:16And so I really wanted a message that could be helpful and
- 9:20applicable to those who are listening.
- 9:22So I tried to talk about some of the benefits that I learned from
- 9:27sharing my story and how that can actually help.
- 9:30We can use our stories to. Number one, give glory to God
- 9:34for what he has done. And #2 hopefully bless and
- 9:37encourage other people who may be able to relate or, you know,
- 9:41able to find similarities in some way.
- 9:45So it was really through speaking on the topic that I
- 9:49realized, oh, this is something that people are interested in.
- 9:53They want to also share their story, and sometimes either
- 9:57they're nervous about it or they feel.
- 10:00Uncomfortable Or they don't know where to start or it's
- 10:04complicated story and other people are involved and they
- 10:07don't know when to share it or where to share it.
- 10:10So I just wanted to to put something together, a resource
- 10:14that could help guide people answering some of those
- 10:17questions. And that's actually how I laid
- 10:20out the structure of the book. Was trying to answer those who,
- 10:24what, where, when, why questions when it comes to sharing your
- 10:28story from a Christian perspective.
- 10:30With the goal of giving glory to God so good.
- 10:34I know when we share our story it's that feeling like we are
- 10:40not alone and what we go through and it's you know stories go all
- 10:46the way back in the scripture Bible times.
- 10:49I mean a story after story, and we learn through stories and we
- 10:53can relate with stories and there's power in our story and
- 10:58what God has done through us. And so This is why the podcast
- 11:03began, was the Lord had put this idea in my heart, this dream of
- 11:09his that said, you know, you're gonna do your own podcast now.
- 11:14I listened to a couple podcasts when I go on a walk or a jog.
- 11:17But when I got this little inner, you know, tug, those
- 11:21prompting in my heart to start one, I'm like, what?
- 11:24I have no idea what I'm doing. And then he brought back this
- 11:27remembrance of when I first started women's ministry.
- 11:31There were women that would come on and share their testimony.
- 11:35And I just remember being so impacted by that and just it
- 11:40just made God seem so real as I was growing.
- 11:44And I'm discovering my personal relationship with Jesus and how
- 11:49vulnerable these women were. And I'm just going, Oh my
- 11:52goodness, how did they get this courage and this boldness to
- 11:55just get on stage and just share the most personal things that
- 12:00they had gone through? But just to see and hear
- 12:05actually what God did through their life and the
- 12:09transformation that happened that only God can do, only God
- 12:14can heal, only God can mend that marriage and whatever it is that
- 12:19they were sharing. And I just remember being just
- 12:23moved by it, even more moved than if somebody was to get up
- 12:27there and do this prepared message, you know, and the and
- 12:31the the woman's director, you know, coming up and giving a
- 12:34prepared message, I'm like, no, no, no, bring those, you know,
- 12:37testimonies back on. And the Lord reminded me, this
- 12:42is do you remember how much this changed you?
- 12:46This is what you're going to do on the podcast.
- 12:50And so I love that the heart of what you're sharing and the IT
- 12:57really is the transformational power that God can do through
- 13:02our stories. And what's incredible too, is
- 13:04sometimes we hear stories and this is how incredible a Holy
- 13:09Spirit will, will, like, speak to us that maybe like that
- 13:14person, demons say that, right? It was just like, you know,
- 13:18something that the Holy Spirit was downloading in them through
- 13:22our story. But maybe it was, you know, it's
- 13:25not even that topic or it's not even something that they're
- 13:28talking about. But that's how incredible our
- 13:32Lord is, is that he will meet that woman exactly where they
- 13:36are in that moment to encourage them and to strengthen them and
- 13:42to say, you know, I've got you, we're gonna do this together.
- 13:46So I love it. OK, So I know that this is a
- 13:49little bit of an issue because I was talking to my daughter at
- 13:54the time she was in high school, and she's like, Mom, you have
- 13:58all these testimonies and you have all the, you know, stuff to
- 14:01share. And so I know she's not alone in
- 14:05this. I think a lot of women may
- 14:07struggle with not having feeling like they don't have this
- 14:11dramatic or exciting story to share.
- 14:14So what would you say to that woman to encourage them if
- 14:18they're feeling doubtful? Yeah, I think that is very
- 14:22common. I do hear that a lot like, oh,
- 14:25my story's just boring and my life has always been the same.
- 14:29Nothing dramatic has happened to me.
- 14:32And yet, for anyone who knows the Lord, I would just encourage
- 14:36that person that. If you are a Christian, your
- 14:40story is a rescue story. You have been rescued from
- 14:44darkness to light, and that is not a small or insignificant
- 14:49thing. And so even if you can't
- 14:52necessarily pinpoint to your conversion, you know, to the
- 14:57moment of your conversion where some of us maybe grew up in a
- 15:00Christian home or we went to Sunday school or the Lord.
- 15:04Drew us to himself over a period of time.
- 15:07It was a slow progression, even. So there was a point when you
- 15:12were separated from him and you were his enemy and he plucked
- 15:16you out of that state and made you his own.
- 15:20And so that that's dramatic, you know, and people think I don't
- 15:24have a dramatic story. But actually if we know him,
- 15:27it's a dramatic story and I I can't help but think about.
- 15:33So many of the popular movies and TV shows and and books today
- 15:37like we as consumers love a good rescue story.
- 15:41You know, we love it when there is a conflict and a problem and
- 15:46someone who kind of swoops in and saves the day and and
- 15:49there's a hero at the end and and that is what has happened to
- 15:53us. Like that is the story of our
- 15:54salvation. And so.
- 15:56I would just encourage that person.
- 15:58Like if you are in Christ and you belong to him like you do
- 16:02have a dramatic and an exciting story.
- 16:04And I think sometimes it's easy for us to downplay that or
- 16:09minimize that if we don't have a what a lot of people would
- 16:13consider to be dramatic. Maybe there was drug addiction
- 16:17or, you know, some kind of poor choices that were made and we.
- 16:23Our behavior really went from night to day overnight.
- 16:26You know, we don't have to have a testimony like that in order
- 16:29for it to be powerful or to be used by the Lord.
- 16:33Yeah, I know. That's exactly what I told my
- 16:36daughter. And I'm like, honey, just give
- 16:38it some time, too. You're young and I'm sure you
- 16:42don't go through some experiences and I know now she's
- 16:47got a handful of testimonies that she could share about
- 16:51disappointment in life and how she thought it was gonna go one
- 16:54way. But God comes in and there's a
- 16:57little detour and but knows and rests in what he has is the
- 17:03best. And you know all that's a
- 17:06learning experience to really put your trust and your faith in
- 17:11the Lord to know, OK, you've ordered my steps, not me.
- 17:15So OK, I'm writing a book and I hear different podcasts, you
- 17:22know, different speakers saying wait until you have gone through
- 17:27what you've gone through to write about it.
- 17:30I've heard one lady say it's great to write while you're
- 17:34going through what you're going through.
- 17:37So it just seems like there's like two sides to this.
- 17:41So what would you say is the right time to Share your story?
- 17:47What do you think? Yeah, I think, I guess for one.
- 17:53I see two categories in the sense of 1.
- 17:57Category would be just when we're talking to another person
- 18:00face to face in a casual conversation.
- 18:02And another category could be for those of us who are writers,
- 18:06who do write either on blogs or, you know, we post on social
- 18:11media or we're trying to publish a book that those two things are
- 18:15slightly different in terms of when it's a good time, more
- 18:19because I think when it comes to writing, you can't.
- 18:23Take that back. Obviously even in conversation
- 18:27you can't take it back. But when the writing is out
- 18:29there, it can just keep spreading and spreading or be
- 18:32sort of solidified and it's hard to withdraw that.
- 18:36Yeah. Whereas if it's in a
- 18:37conversation, you could go back to that person and sort of have
- 18:41a follow up conversation or that type of thing, so.
- 18:45Anyway, in both cases though, I I would really encourage people
- 18:49to pray for the Lord's wisdom and guidance and direction, and
- 18:53for a peace, to know when it is the right time, and just
- 18:58trusting that he will give that peace and that direction and
- 19:02that he will open our closed doors as appropriate according
- 19:06to his will. I think another important thing
- 19:10is to really for us to search our hearts and to ask ourselves.
- 19:14Why do we want to share this story now?
- 19:17Why is it important to me that it gets out now versus later?
- 19:22And it might be if we're honest with ourselves that we actually
- 19:28want attention, or we want people to be impressed with us
- 19:32for doing something, or we want them to feel sorry for us.
- 19:37Like, you know, it's not always the case, but sometimes there
- 19:40can be hints of that. And so to really.
- 19:44Search our hearts about why we want to share.
- 19:48I am a big fan of writing privately during the trial.
- 19:54I think that's so therapeutic and so helpful to be journaling
- 19:59and you know whether it's a private blog or just writing at
- 20:03home that. For me it's it's so helpful to
- 20:07get out those raw emotions in the moment, but it doesn't
- 20:10necessarily mean that that's the also the best time for me to put
- 20:14it out there publicly. Maybe it is, sometimes it is,
- 20:18but not always. And so one piece of advice I
- 20:23share in the book is, in the terms of writing to press pause
- 20:27before publish and just hold it for a minute.
- 20:31You know, maybe if it's a social media post, it might only be for
- 20:35an hour. Or if it's a blog post, you
- 20:37know, wait until the morning. Or I'm not saying hold it for
- 20:41months, but just sit on it and and maybe not make a rash
- 20:45decision in the heat of emotion that you may regret later, you
- 20:50know. And so I would just say like
- 20:52press pause before publish. And in some cases it might be
- 20:58months, it might be years. And I'm not saying that that's
- 21:01true in your case. But if if someone has had a very
- 21:05difficult story that that is, that's they're still right in
- 21:09the thick of it, it might take some time before they really
- 21:13have had the opportunity to actually process what happened
- 21:18and to reflect and to see things with some perspective and
- 21:22distance in order to communicate it in a way that would benefit
- 21:27other people. But I would still really
- 21:30encourage people to write in the moment because I also relied on
- 21:33a lot of that. When I did eventually put my
- 21:36memoir together, I went back to old journals and old blog posts
- 21:40that I had really only told three people about.
- 21:42You know, it was like this kind of secret blog.
- 21:45But it was really helpful for me to actually be able to read what
- 21:49I had said in those moments and for to kind of bring that back
- 21:53up to the surface when some time had passed.
- 21:56So I think ultimately it is a willingness to trust the Lord's
- 22:01timing and to be okay if it takes him longer than we want.
- 22:10I signed my book, so my mom passed away in September of
- 22:132011, and then I signed a book contract in October of 2015.
- 22:18So about four years later was when I had put together a
- 22:22proposal to write this book, and the book only released in April
- 22:26of 2018. So it was about 3 1/2 years
- 22:30later before the book actually came out, after several delays
- 22:34for multiple reasons, and it was tempting for me to feel
- 22:38frustrated and thank Lord what's the point This is dragging out.
- 22:42Is it even worth it? Why did you make me go through
- 22:45all of this? And yet I kept sensing that he
- 22:48was trying to, to remind me that it will come out exactly when
- 22:55the people who need it will have access to it.
- 22:58You know, I didn't say that very well, But basically, whoever
- 23:02needs to read your message, they will get it at the time that
- 23:04they need it, and the Lord will make sure of that.
- 23:07So I had to keep reminding myself of that truth as well,
- 23:11that he can still use it even if it's later than what I had
- 23:16hoped. Right, because that's kind of
- 23:19that's one of the enemies tactics is to say.
- 23:22We're behind in time we're you know not moving fast enough.
- 23:27This message it it seems old to us.
- 23:30Is it going to be beneficial and.
- 23:33So recognizing that that is clearly the enemy's lies and
- 23:38God's timing, as it's obviously not our timeline, his timing is
- 23:44perfect. So good.
- 23:45And I love how you touched on it's the heart posture.
- 23:48So watch our heart posture and see what position we're in and
- 23:53how many times. Have I been upset or frustrated
- 23:58and and I just write you know I'll I'll do like notes in my
- 24:03phone if I'm thinking I'm doing a social media post you know
- 24:07because then you can you know cut and paste and and then I I
- 24:11do that pause because I mean that takes some maturity to do
- 24:16that right is to go OK like. Maybe I shouldn't be blasting
- 24:21this out, you know, where am I at right now?
- 24:24I'm, I'm a little bit on that bitter side still.
- 24:27And there needs to be a little bit of healing here before I
- 24:31just start, you know, blasting how I feel.
- 24:34Because our emotions are our feelings feel.
- 24:37They're so real to us and they seem like facts.
- 24:41And if you just wait. And have a good night's sleep
- 24:46guarantee that is not going to be something that you post on
- 24:49social media the next day, right?
- 24:51So I love how you said to, you know, pause before you publish
- 24:55because that is so important. So, and then how do you think
- 25:00someone should approach their story if it involves others?
- 25:06You know, there's people who've had some very traumatic
- 25:09experiences in their life. And yeah, may bring up some
- 25:15stuff in the family that they are hesitant to share, right.
- 25:21Right. Yeah.
- 25:21This is a question I get often and it's a tricky one because of
- 25:26what you're saying that there are so many complexities and
- 25:29dynamics involved. And the reality is, even if
- 25:34someone that you know who's involved with your story, even
- 25:38if you go to them and ask for their permission to share your
- 25:43perspective on the story, and they give you that permission,
- 25:47they might change their minds later and be upset about it
- 25:50later. And so we really can't control
- 25:53how other people will respond. I do think whenever it is
- 25:58possible, it's important and ideal to ask for people's
- 26:02permission first if we are going to be publicly sharing in a way
- 26:06that would make them identifiable.
- 26:09But I realize in many cases it's not possible.
- 26:12And so I would say the principles are are the similar
- 26:16to the previous question we were talking about in terms of just
- 26:21really measuring our motives behind it.
- 26:24And one, you know, one passage that has been helpful for me in
- 26:28this regard, it comes from James.
- 26:30Three and it's It's about a paragraph long, but I think it's
- 26:34helpful if I just read it out, because there's so much in here
- 26:37that we can apply to this issue. It says who is wise and
- 26:41understanding among you by his good conduct.
- 26:44Let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
- 26:47But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your
- 26:51hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
- 26:54This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is
- 26:58earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish
- 27:02ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile
- 27:06practice. But the wisdom from above is
- 27:09first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of
- 27:14mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere, And a harvest of
- 27:18righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- 27:23And so, you know, this passage is really has been helpful for
- 27:27me to almost make a checklist for myself and to pull out those
- 27:31themes that are in there and to ask myself, OK, if I want to
- 27:35tell a story that involves someone else, do I have any
- 27:39bitter jealousy or selfish ambition in my heart as I'm
- 27:43preparing to share this? Am I boasting what I'm telling
- 27:47this story? Is there any way that I'm being
- 27:50false to the truth? Like, even in a small way, you
- 27:54know? And then positively like, am I
- 27:56depending on the Lord for wisdom from above?
- 27:58Am I seeking to share this story from a pure heart?
- 28:02Am I being peaceable and gentle? You know, we just kind of make
- 28:05our way through the list. Am I being impartial?
- 28:08Am I being, Am I being sincere? And so those are good principles
- 28:14that we can use to measure our motives, because it is very easy
- 28:18to want to share out of hostility or out of bitterness,
- 28:22and to frame ourselves more positively than maybe things
- 28:26actually happen in reality. And so this is something that is
- 28:31very difficult to navigate and it's the the biggest area that
- 28:38can cause fractured relationships and can
- 28:41potentially do damage in our relationships with others.
- 28:45And unfortunately, I I have had experience with this where I
- 28:49really tried to, you know, ask for permission and to paint the
- 28:54picture as objectively as possible and to measure my
- 28:57motives and not have hostility or bitterness in my heart.
- 29:01And there's still fractured relationship that was resulted.
- 29:05And so it's it's not a clean thing.
- 29:08It's it's a messy, it can be messy.
- 29:11And so in some ways we have to also weigh up.
- 29:15Are we willing to take that risk?
- 29:17And I don't mean am I willing to throw away a relationship just
- 29:23so I can tell this story, but rather, am I convicted enough
- 29:29that I believe the Lord wants me to share this because he can use
- 29:33it positively to benefit other people?
- 29:36That even in the event that a relationship is damaged, would
- 29:41he still be able to do good out of my sharing this?
- 29:45Or is this just going to damage a relationship and have no, no
- 29:50other, you know, no benefit at all?
- 29:53So sometimes we have to kind of weigh up the risks and decide if
- 29:57we we might decide no, it's not worth that risk.
- 29:59I'm not willing to risk this relationship just for the sake
- 30:04of sharing this story. I would rather not share the
- 30:06story just to be safe. And sometimes we have to make
- 30:09that decision. But sometimes the Lord can do
- 30:13amazing things through a story that gets shared when we are
- 30:16doing it with the right motives and believing that he, you know,
- 30:21has led us to share it in a way that could glorify him and to
- 30:24bless others. Even if perhaps someone who's
- 30:29not a believer doesn't understand what we're doing or
- 30:33why we're doing it. And they might take offense
- 30:36because they don't share the same worldview or convictions.
- 30:41Right. Oh, so good, Kate.
- 30:43Yeah, I mean, right on with all of that.
- 30:47And again, it's going back to praying about it and allowing
- 30:54the Lord to really give you that green light and, you know,
- 30:59saying it's OK and that conviction that you shared.
- 31:03It's so true, too. Sorry to interrupt, Jamie.
- 31:06I would say too, it's it's worth getting input from other people
- 31:10who know you well. And if it's something in
- 31:13writing, you might even ask other people to read it and say,
- 31:16hey, can you just tell me, like, does this sound like there's any
- 31:20animosity in it? Does it sound like I'm being
- 31:22neutral? Does it sound like I'm favoring
- 31:25one side or another? Does it sound like I'm throwing
- 31:27someone under the bus? You know, just right, get input?
- 31:30I'm not saying from the whole world, but just a few trusted
- 31:34friends and ask for their honest opinion to help you discern
- 31:38whether what you're sharing or about to share is something that
- 31:42could glorify God. Or if maybe you need to make a
- 31:45few changes before you share it more publicly.
- 31:48Yeah. That's good advice.
- 31:50Have somebody else read it. I mean, there's so many times if
- 31:53you're just doing a simple text and.
- 31:56You know, you're reading it to a family member.
- 31:59Hey, I'm texting those, blah, blah, blah.
- 32:00Oh, that's kind of sounds, you know, bossy or so you like,
- 32:06change the words. Because there's things that you
- 32:09you need that outside perspective.
- 32:11It's always good for somebody to proofread your stuff.
- 32:14So OK, what's an easy way for someone to?
- 32:18Get started with sharing their story, even if they're feeling
- 32:22nervous or uncertain or hesitant to move forward.
- 32:28Yeah. One thing that really helped me
- 32:30many years ago, I met a woman who we were just having a normal
- 32:35conversation and she kept talking about how the Lord
- 32:39helped her do this and the Lord enabled her to do that.
- 32:42And the Lord sent someone to help her fix the flat tire.
- 32:46And the Lord did this. And to me, it just stood out as
- 32:49such a impactful thing. And she was just talking.
- 32:53She wasn't, you know, it was just, we were just talking on
- 32:56the street. And so I thought, wow, why don't
- 33:00I do that more often? Like, why am I not giving credit
- 33:02to God? Because truly he is the one who
- 33:05is sending the rain and making the sunshine and you know,
- 33:08sending the person to fix my car.
- 33:10And so it was a challenge for me to to try to start doing that.
- 33:16And it felt very unnatural at first when I did.
- 33:19But over time it became more and more natural.
- 33:22And it it, I'm not saying I do it all the time, but it is
- 33:25easier than it used to be. And I think it's one way to give
- 33:30glory to God for what he is doing in the moment, you know
- 33:33that. And it's if if people listening
- 33:37have children, it's a great way to also help our children
- 33:41realize that it's God who's doing all these things for us
- 33:44and in us. And so instead of just saying,
- 33:48like, oh, I'm sick, I don't feel good.
- 33:50And then the next day, oh, I feel better, like the Lord
- 33:54helped me feel better, you know, the Lord healed me.
- 33:56And to give, give him credit for those things.
- 33:59And so again, it wasn't like a natural or easy thing, but at
- 34:04the same time, it's something that we can implement right away
- 34:09if we want to find a way to start just interjecting mention
- 34:13of the Lord in our daily conversation.
- 34:15And that's one way that we can give him glory.
- 34:18Another thing that has helped me when I maybe don't know someone
- 34:22very well that I'm talking to, but I want to tell them what God
- 34:27has been doing, is actually to ask them how I can pray for
- 34:30them. And just by asking them how can
- 34:33I pray for you, they often will open up with things that are
- 34:37going on. And more often than not, there
- 34:40is some thread that I'm able to relate to in some way.
- 34:44And then the Lord opens that door for me to be able to share.
- 34:48Oh, I had a similar situation or you know, four years ago this
- 34:52happened to me. And this is how God carried me
- 34:56through that. Or this is how God provided in
- 34:58that situation. And so when I feel a little bit
- 35:01stuck, like, oh, what do I talk about now?
- 35:04If we open that door for someone else to share, often we can find
- 35:08ways to link our story with what they're saying.
- 35:11Not to draw attention to ourselves, but rather to give
- 35:15God glory for what he has done in us in a way that could
- 35:18encourage them when they're also going through something similar.
- 35:22Yeah, that's so good. Yeah, bringing it back to the
- 35:26Lord, right. And that foundation, I mean, his
- 35:30foundation is just an instant bond.
- 35:33I mean, you can go to a woman's Bible study and you can maybe
- 35:36know one person out of that whole group.
- 35:40And then by the end of the time you you have together, you're
- 35:45besties with all of them. You know why?
- 35:47Because you're all just. It's centered on Christ.
- 35:51You're all learning the his word together and it's just it's like
- 35:57that super glue, that instant glue, and it's supernatural.
- 36:02I just love it. I love ending our time together
- 36:05with the take away. Is there something you can leave
- 36:07with our friend here that she can ponder on or take action in?
- 36:12I would just encourage you to consider the question, How can
- 36:17you steward your story well? So how can you take the story
- 36:22that you have been given because you have been given a story?
- 36:27How can you take that and use it number one for God's glory and
- 36:31#2 as a way to bless and encourage other people?
- 36:36So good Okay where can people can connect with you?
- 36:41I know you've got a a bundle going on with Share your story
- 36:46and how can they reach you and get your other books as well.
- 36:53Yes, my main The website isfiveminutefriday.com so you
- 36:57can find my books in the shop there, and the Share your story
- 37:01bundle is currently available at fiveminutefriday.com/story
- 37:08fiveminutefriday.com/story and you will be able to get.
- 37:13You can choose between a paperback version or a digital
- 37:15version if you're not in the US, and it includes printable
- 37:19journal and reflection questions, and a workbook and
- 37:25some printable scripture passages that correspond to the
- 37:28book. You'll get a sticker in the mail
- 37:30if you order the paperback. All kinds of goodies there, so
- 37:34feel free to head over there if you're interested in getting a
- 37:37copy of the book. Yeah, it's awesome.
- 37:39You have a quiz and you give these elements of sharing your
- 37:43story. I mean, you Really.
- 37:46Articulate it well and break it down as to an easy way for us to
- 37:52really get that passion, that fire inside of us, to get that
- 37:56story out with confidence and courage.
- 37:59So thank you so much for coming on here.
- 38:03Thank you, Jamie. It's been a great pleasure.
- 38:06Thank. You so much for listening today,
- 38:08and I trust that God has encouraged you through this
- 38:11story. Did you know this podcast is on
- 38:14YouTube? Hop on there and subscribe and
- 38:17you can see a live recording of each episode.
- 38:21And For more information on this ministry and to access free
- 38:25downloads, please visit my website at jamieelizabeth.com.
- 38:29That's JAYME elizabeth.com. And let's connect beyond this
- 38:35podcast by going to my Instagram handle Jamie Elizabeth, She
- 38:39Speaks Life or Facebook. Until next time, my friend.
- 38:42And I hope God reveals himself through your own life story.