I remember the feeling of awe I had when I first connected to the Internet in the mid 1990’s. I was amazed that suddenly I could connect with people from all over the world.
I began blogging about my families’ journey with autism in 2004, and I did it simply to record our story. I wanted to have a way to look back and be encouraged by Alec’s progress whenever I was having a hard day. I never expected anyone to read the blog, although I really didn’t mind someone did.
God, however, had other plans, and soon I began getting letters from autism parents from around the world who were just like me, struggling to bring up their children as best as they could. We began to support each other by sharing our stories. With every story I read, I knew I was not alone.
It seems that God created us to need one another.
God calls us to go out into the world and be a light in the darkness. We do this by connecting with the people around us. We write and we speak, yes, but the greatest way we see God work is through our relationships with the people in our community.
Reaching Out with Your Story
Many people dream of being used by God in a special way. We want to matter. To make a difference.
Everyday I read about people who long for a ministry of their own, to share a message with thousands of people. One Google search on the phrase “build your platform” turned up 316,000,000 results, and there are thousands of platform-building courses to teach us how to do it.
And all the while, there are people tonight who will go to sleep feeling hopeless. Right now, in your neighborhood and in your church, there is someone who longs to know that they are not alone… that someone understands what they are going through.
Your story could be the one that is that changes a life for the better.
God has placed you right where you are for a reason. He has strategically positioned people around you—in your workplace, at your favorite coffee shop, and at your child’s school—and He promises to provide you with everything you need to reach out to them.
God has given you a unique set of experiences—your story—to share and light up their way. Trust me, there is someone around you who needs to hear your story.
You don’t need an audience to make a difference.
You just need God, and He only needs your willing heart.
Don’t wait until you have a platform to share your story, and please don’t think you have to be perfect to be used by God. The stories that I have shared that connected best have been the stories I wrote from within the muck of my own life, when God was guiding me through the storm. Not when I had made it (with God’s help!) to the other side. People are looking for someone to walk with them.
So what are you waiting for?
Open your eyes and ask God to see the people who around you every day as He sees them… and ask Him to help you love them. I promise you, God will let you know who they are and what to say when the time is right. He promises to empower you with the words you need at the right time.
Your ministry is here….today. Share your special needs journey with someone you know. Tell them what God has done for you, and share a Biblical promise that has helped you personally.
If you do, I promise you, God will use you in a mighty way. He’s looking for people who are willing to risk building relationships. When we do, we get to become part of His story.
Let me know how it goes! Blessings to you!
Kelly Langston
PROMISE TO MEMORIZE:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Latest posts by Kelly Langston (see all)
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- Will It Be All Right? (And What if You Aren’t Sure?) - October 28, 2015
I told my story of how my little girl with Down syndrome blessed my life seven years ago in the article A Special Mother is Born and so many parents responded to it that I collected 33 of them and published them in a book A Special Mother is Born in 2011. Now its coming out in Spanish: Ha Nacido Una Madre Especial. The power of sharing is changing lives for the better.
Absolutely, Leticia! Keep sharing! You are encouraging more people than you know.
Thank you Kelly, its good to know you are making a difference.