Thanksgiving memories: Who spurred you on?

Thanksgiving is a time to remember those who have encouraged you, believed in you, and spurred you on.

It’s a time to recognize people who trained you, challenged you, and influenced the direction of your life.

At this Thanksgiving time, think back: Who taught you about integrity and hard work and self-discipline?

Who inspired you spiritually and modeled what genuine faith looks like?

Who helped you find your way through the dark—took you by the hand, kept you moving forward, step by step, toward the light?

Who inspired you to become the very best you, to become all God intended for you to be?

Look back over the years

and recognize that

God Himself placed those people in your life.

When they touched you,

they were reaching out in God’s name,

extending His hand,

smiling His smile,

speaking His words of hope and peace.

That’s one of the ways that He,

in His unfailing love,

leads His own.

(Exodus 15:13)

Who comes to mind when you read these words?

You have stories about those key people in your life,

and only you can write them.

Those stories are important.

Someone else needs to read those stories.

Through them,

God can use you to touch others,

to reach out in His name,

extend His hand,

smile His smile,

speak His words of hope and peace.

That’s one of the ways that He,

in His unfailing love,

leads His own.

(Exodus 15:13)

Connect your story with God’s story—

not as a hobby,

but as a ministry.

Thanksgiving memories: Who spurred you on?

Thanksgiving is a time to remember those who have encouraged you, believed in you, and spurred you on.

It’s a time to recognize people who trained you, challenged you, and influenced the direction of your life.

Who taught you about integrity and hard work and self-discipline?

At this Thanksgiving time, think back: Who inspired you spiritually and modeled what a genuine faith looks like?

Who helped you find your way through the dark—took you by the hand, kept you moving forward, step by step, toward the light?

Who inspired you to become the very best you, to become all God intended for you to be?

This is important:

Look back over the years

and recognize that

God Himself placed those people in your life.

When they touched you,

they were reaching out in God’s name,

extending His hand,

smiling His smile,

speaking His words of hope and peace.

That's one of the ways that He,

in His unfailing love,

leads His own.

Who comes to mind when you read these words?

You have stories about key people in your life,

and only you can write them.

They are important.

Someone needs to read those stories.

Through your stories,

God can use you to touch others,

to reach out in His name,

extend His hand,

smile His smile,

speak His words of hope and peace.

That's one of the ways that He,

in His unfailing love,

leads His own.

Connect your story with God’s story—

not as a hobby but as a ministry.

Related posts:

Who are the key people in your life?  

On fluttering flames and rekindling sparks

Key people in your life: A perfect preparation

In the Bible study Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed, Beth Moore recommends:

“Name several people God has used to make the biggest investments on the servant you are becoming in Christ. Beside each name, write a phrase describing what you’ve received most from that person.”

Let’s do it!

1. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________

4. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________________________________________________

Beth continues,

“Now go back and draw a ‘+’ under each line to add it to the next. Then in the space under the last line, jot down several ways you are distinct from all of them. The sum total is a tiny glimpse of who you are.

“Your uniqueness as an earthen vessel of Christ in your generation will often result from having a couple of tablespoons of one person’s influence on you, a fourth of a cup of another’s, and a teaspoon of many….” (emphasis mine)

Wendy Welch passes on this wisdom she learned from Dan Keding:

“A personal story is not about you. It’s about all the people around you. If you are the hero of your own story, it’s not going to come out right, ring true, or be interesting enough to hold people’s attention.… Talk about what happened to other people first, and how you felt about that, what you did because of it.…

“[Dan] told us about growing up in Chicago with a Holocaust survivor friend named Stan. His story was about Stan, but when it was over, we all knew so much more about Dan.”  (Me-me-me Memoirs; emphasis mine)

Think about this: Those people on your list did not just accidentally enter your life. God gave them a role to play in making you into the person you are today, and into the person you are becoming. Their story is part of your story.

Like Corrie Ten Boom said, “Every person [God] puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see.” 

Use today’s exercise (and review “Like a Sneak Attack”) to write your stories, thanking God for gifting you with those special individuals!

Pray, too, for God to use you and your memoir to serve as a holy tablespoon of influence—or even a fourth of a cup!—in your readers’ lives.

References and links:

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed,

http://www.lifeway.com/Product/anointed-transformed-redeemed-a-study-of-david-member-book-P005159143

Wendy Welch, Me-me-me Memoirs,

http://wendywelchbigstonegap.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/me-me-me-memoirs

Like a Sneak Attack,

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2012/01/like-sneak-attack.html