LIsten

My writings span three years now. It’s a compellation of pains, lessons, and heartbreaking accounts. It’s narratives of truth, gratitude, grace, joy, and blissfulness. These stories are outpourings of risk. These stories are my vulnerability. They let the outside in; they peak into the inner struggles and imperfections of who I am. They declare my humanness.

Her hands reached to grab mine; her fingers interweaving around my tight clinched hands as I finished telling her a piece of my story, my narrative. “This is your story Steven, this is your one and only life, it’s all you will ever truly own, you can change the world with your stories, you can move mountains with your pains, you can help people, and even more, you can love them. The God of the universe lives in your stories, and he has given them to you. Go, Steven; move your mountains, take that leap of faith, take the creator of your universe hand in hand, and walk with him in bravery and boldness.  Change our world, because you’ve changed mine.”

Today I haven’t changed the world, but I’ve changed me. Today, I own my story. As I watched the sunrise this morning, I stood bold. I haven’t arrived in any area of life, but damn I’m growing; I’m healthier as a person, I’m stronger as an individual, I’m braver in my relationship with my creator, and I’ve learned; learned how to listen.

When you listen to the narratives of the lives that you interact with daily, you hear their reality, you hear their bittersweetness, you hear their pains and joys. People aren’t born into the persons they are at birth; people are shaped by their individual accounts and experiences. They’re a culmination of the people who have surrounded them. Their stories are important, as your story is important. No one is special, but we are all important. When someone shares their story with you, listen intently, listen for what you can learn.

Your story is all that you own, and though it must be shared, share it with those who deserve it. Don’t flaunt your story to those who won’t hear it, and resist those who tell you to share your story with everyone. Your story has meaning, and it speaks to certain people, in certain circumstances. Find those people, seek them out, hear their stories, and share your own. Listen, wholesomely with intent, listen; hear emotions, find their truth, give compassion. Save advice for someone who asks for it, what people need in this busy, consistently moving, always stimulated, culture, is someone who will listen.

Surrender
Burden

Grace
Love

Empower
Hope

This isn’t easy
 it isn’t clear
 and you don’t need Jesus until you’re here.

The Sun is Rising