“And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

The words of God spoken to the Apostle John in Revelation 21:5 (English Standard Version) jumped out at me. John is receiving a description of the promised future, a time when God will call forth a new beginning that will never end.

One commentary I consulted said John must have stopped taking notes because he was in awe of what God was telling him. So, God said “this is worth recording!” Obviously, John got back to the task at hand.

Aren’t our lives sometimes so awe-inspiring — both in beauty and in trial — that we forget to take notes? What we’ve experienced and learned while living our daily lives has value to those who come after, to any who need to hear. Our stories can be considered “trustworthy and true” if we write from an honest and open heart.

Much of the personal writing done on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — and even on some blogs and websites — may not be fully trustworthy and true. It may be presented through a “filter” that shines the best (or worst) light on the story being told. For writing that encourages and upholds God’s truth, I tend to fill my feed with postings from reliable sources (listed below).

There is nothing wrong with sharing your family’s happy times or snapping a photo of the great meal you just ate, or even voicing an opinion on something in the news. But in all we say and do (in person and through social media), shouldn’t we consider “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy”?

And as we capture and share stories from our own lives, stories which will be used to create family legacy or to disciple others in the faith, we need to be certain that what we are writing is trustworthy and true.

I’m currently studying Second Timothy with a group of women. We’re using the Beth Moore Bible study “Entrusted”. A major point in this week’s teaching is that the “last days” of prophecy began with the coming of the Messiah and with the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:17).

I contend that if we are truly living in the last days and that the coming of Christ to establish a new kingdom in heaven and on earth is just around the corner (which I believe to be true), we should be even more compelled to write our stories, our legacy, with words that are trustworthy and true.

From Beth Moore’s study “Entrusted”:

“So here we find ourselves in these last days, jostled between the worst of times and the best of times, the uprising of evil and the downpour of the Spirit. Christ’s message echoes from the sacred page to each generation of servants: “Occupy til I come” (Luke 19:13, KJV). The world has gone mad but we don’t have to go made with it…..one of the most grown-up realities we will ever accept is that we are His wonders with the greatest potential impact on the lost, the cynical, the hopeless. We — former liars, cheaters, idolaters, adulterers, mockers, haters, backstabbers, abusers, murderers, atheists, and narcissists — are placed by God right in the eyeshot of unbelievers who can refuse to look up but can’t help looking out.” (Emphasis mine)

Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about how we can use our life experiences and our stories to impact the lost, the cynical and the hopeless — as well as the young friend parenting five boys, the woman whose husband has been diagnosed with cancer, the family member who fears death.

Our life stories, when they are trustworthy and true, can be “water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life.” (Rev. 21:6)

~~~~~~~~~~

Here are a few reliable resources for daily encouragement on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please add your favorites in the comments below:

• shereadstruth
• incourage
• peacequility
• heathermaclarenjohnson
• red_tent_living
• anniefdowns
• if:gathering
• proverbs31
• missionalwomen

~~~~~~~~~~

Life stories knit us together, whether to family or to others who just need to know they are not alone. In these 31 days of October, I’ll be exploring the importance of STORY. You can read all 31 days by following the links under “31 Days of Story”. And, you can read blogs from other writers taking the #Write31Days challenge by visiting the website here.

Tomorrow: Taking Risks With Our Stories Can Grow Our Faith