Your Story is Sacred
Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of stories—not just from Magdala’s community, but from friends, family, and random encounters in different seasons. And when tragedy strikes, or things don’t go as planned—when God has a different plan for our lives than we do—it’s common to hear the all-to-frequent phrase: “this is not my story; this will not define me.”
And as I heard it recently, I got to thinking,
“why not?”
Why shouldn’t our seasons define us?
Why shouldn’t our suffering mold us?
Why shouldn’t God’s plan for us become our means of sanctification?
Now, I’m not talking about our identity becoming a single moment. Our primary identity will always be a child of God, and that is the core foundation we must live our lives from. But the seasons, encounters, and events of our lives are sacred because we’re sacred. So instead of immediately dissociating from the trials we face—
sickness
loss
disappointment
—why don’t we approach it as an opportunity to grow? Why not ask God to reveal His hand amidst our hurt?
Instead of immediately saying, “this will not be my story,” why not say, “this is part of my story, and it’s sacred. Lord, reveal the areas you want me to grow.”
Looking at the saints, we can see that when tragedy strikes, they become better. It’s the encounters with grace and virtue after the hurt that become the hallmarks of their story.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla discovered she carried a tumor as well as her fourth child. Her story features a difficult bout with cancer, but is defined by her decision to save the child and sacrifice her own life.
St. Maria Goretti suffered verbal abuse and harassment prior to her death. Her story features sexual assault, but is defined by her radical forgiveness toward her attacker.
St. Maximilian Kolbe was taken to Auschwitz in 1941. His story features terrible beatings, humiliation, and dehumanization, but is defined by sacrificing his life for a fellow prisoner, and ministering to nine others in their final moments.
All three of these became saints because they saw a part of their story that was messy, difficult, and painful, and said, “God is with me; there is opportunity here.”
I’m not saying God desires bad things to happen to us. The mystery of His Permissive Will is beyond our comprehension. But I know that He ordains all for our good; there is nothing that happens to us that doesn’t have the opportunity for immense grace, healing, and growth.
So the question is, will we allow ourselves to grow with God in these moments? Will we allow ourselves to become sanctified as we journey through our story?
Your story is sacred—every part of it—and God has been here all along. Invite Him into your story;
invite Him into your heart.
