So, I want to talk about the importance of sharing your story because I feel like I was bamboozled by God (shout out to Yvonne Orji for the phrase) into sharing my story and this becoming my thing. I remember back in grad school when I was struggling with my self-esteem issues and God spoke to me and told me that I wouldn’t be able to help others until I learned how to help myself. I made the decision to allow God to help me overcome that and one of the tasks was telling my family and friends about what I was going through. Since I no longer wanted to hide or cover up, I needed to “come out” (Alexa play Diana Ross’ “I’m coming out”), if you will. So, I began sharing my struggles with low self-esteem with the people I loved and the response and feedback was overwhelmingly supportive. That literally was where all of this began. I didn’t realize it then, but I was laying the foundation for what I am doing today. I remember God nudging me to share my story in public at a youth event at church. I didn’t think I would ever stand before a group of people to tell them about my biggest and most embarrassing challenge at that time. But there I soon was, sharing my story. That’s where it began.
What I didn’t realize at that time was that me sharing my story created a connection with others who were going through or feeling the way I had felt. I found freedom in sharing because I was bound for so long by my own thoughts. For a long time, I felt alone in that struggle, but opening up I realized that I wasn’t alone because many other people struggled with self-esteem issues one way or another. One of the tactics of the enemy is to keep you in isolation so he can attack your thoughts. We were raised by generations who taught us to keep things to ourselves and in our homes. That can be very dangerous to a certain extent because we inadvertently apply that thinking and behavior to all areas of our lives. When we go through things, instead of reaching out and talking to someone, we keep it in. And again, keeping it in isolates us from any type of connection with someone who could probably help and encourage us.
Here are some reasons why you should share your story. And when I say “share”, it doesn’t necessarily have to be on social media or some type of platform, it can literally be sharing your story with a close friend, someone in need or even a therapist as you get help for something you need to overcome.
- To help others – you never know how your story can help someone else. After all, the things that we go through are not just for us.
- To move forward – sometimes letting go of something could be the very thing keeping you from moving forward. Holding in something you’ve experienced could be keeping you from greater purpose.
- To heal your heart – sharing your story can certainly bring about healing. There is power in the release.
- To forgive yourself – you may have said or thought things about yourself because of your situation and you will need to forgive yourself for that. We often think the difficult things we go through are some type of punishment that we deserve. That type of thinking needs to be released.
- To find joy – you would be surprised at the joy, and even peace, that you find when you share your story. There is joy in helping others, there is joy in doing things to further the kingdom of God.
Since sharing my fertility journey, I have connected with so many women especially women of color who are going through and have gone through infertility. I did not know how many couples and individuals were affected by infertility, but sharing my story has opened my eyes to not only a greater need in our community but to the amount of people who suffer in silence. My desire on this journey is to inspire as many as I can to be open about their story because the things we experience in life can literally be what causes someone to be saved or pushes someone on the brink of a breakdown to their breakthrough. In 2022, I pray that we are less ashamed of what we’ve gone through or are going through and become bold in sharing for we know that we have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). There is purpose and power in your story and I guarantee you that someone needs to hear it.
Thank you for being here,
