Change The Narrative

 Do you like telling stories? Do you like listening to stories? I love listening to stories 😊. You know what my favorite stories are? Stories of people overcoming! Stories of people who face the odds and take risks! Stories of people who refuse to compromise their authenticity! These are the stories that excite me and draw me in 💖. You know what my favorite part of the story is? The plot twist 😊. When something happens that I didn't see coming, it draws me in even the more! Sometimes, the plot twist is good, but other times, it may not be so good. I especially love when the plot twist is good, but I know every story doesn't have a good turn. In ways, our life is like a narrative. Our life is like a story. In this life, we meet lots of people (characters), travel to different places (settings), see events and actions unfold (plot), and experience challenges in some form (conflicts). In all that, there's an important message that can be learned (theme). I just took you through a quick lesson on narrative story elements 😉. Now, as I dig deeper into my English teacher roots, there are different types of conflict (one with ourselves, others, society, and nature). At some point, we all have dealt with these types of conflict. Just like in any story, our life has twists, turns, ups, downs, challenges, triumphs, and tragedies. At any given time during a story, the events can change. Some events are in our control, while others are not. A story can change direction at any time. Just because a story starts bad doesn't mean it will end bad. The narrative can change! Our story can change! I'm so grateful to God 💖👏!! When we look in the Bible, we see many examples of individuals whose stories ended much differently than they begin. In Luke 18:35-43, we see a blind man begging on the side of the road. He called out to Jesus to have compassion on him. Notice the action he took. After telling Jesus he wanted to see, he received his sight because of his faith. He was no longer blind! His story had changed 👏! In Luke 13:10-13, there was a woman who walked bent over for 18 years. Can you imagine being hunched over for that long? When Jesus called out to her to be free of walking bent over, she immediately straightened up. Her story had changed 👏! In Mark 5:25-34, we see a woman who had a blood issue for 12 years. We see her story filled with pain and lots of doctor appointments and money spent, yet her condition got worse. However, when she was in a crowd of people and Jesus was nearby, she decided to touch the edge of Jesus' clothes. Notice the action she took. Immediately, the blood issue stopped and she was healed! Jesus realized someone had touched him. The woman admitted she touched him. Jesus called her "daughter" and told her that her faith saved her, go in peace, and be healed. Her story had changed 👏! In John 5:5-9, we see a man who had not walked for 38 years. Jesus noticed him and asked him a question, "Do you want to get well?" The man said he had no one to put him in the pool when the water was moving. However, Jesus instructed him to get up, pick up his mat, and walk. The man did just that as he took action. He immediately was made well! His story had changed 👏! Guess who else's story can change?! Yours and mine! God has great plans for us 💖! He wants to work in and through our story as well. You see, the individuals mentioned above were never the same as their stories definitely took a turn in a good way 😊. Several of them took actions for the better in their story. I'm so glad I can read their stories over and over and get encouragement from them! What action do you need to take today? It may be changing a thought or mindset, removing yourself out a situation/relationship, taking care of you better, make a phone call, delete the contact or social media connection, speaking good, or focusing on what you're thankful for. Whatever it is, don't hesitate to do it. Make sure to share your story and listen to the stories of others. Keep learning the lessons. We're here to encourage and uplift each other 💖! So, what do you say? It's time for a plot twist in a good way! Let's change the narrative! May God bless you all!