Are we sharing our God stories?

We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. (Psalm 78:4)

I got to thinking recently about the “God stories” I have experienced and lived to tell. We all have them, but sometimes we can forget to tell our children, which we are mandated to do throughout Scripture. I thought I would pass one along one of my God stories this week!

A story from me.

Years ago my husband’s two sisters were visiting us for their week of vacation. They were easy guests. To them, vacation was watching television and playing board games. At the time we had a very tight budget. They didn’t expect us to take them anywhere–and we didn’t.

The night before they were to fly home, however, I was bothered in my spirit. I told my husband, “I know we are low on money, but I think we are supposed to take our guests out to a nice dinner and trust God with the cost.” After all, we had done NOTHING. They hadn’t left the four walls of our home.

He agreed, so we piled into the car and drove into the city to a nice mid-priced restaurant we had dined at before. It was a beautiful summer evening and this restaurant had a stone patio complete with string lights and large shade trees. The atmosphere was casual and fun.

Our waiter introduced himself as J.C. (Hmmmm) When our salads were brought out before the entree, I noticed a fly in my Caesar salad. I wasn’t bothered at all, but pointed out it out to the waiter who replaced the salad.

We had wonderful evening of conversation, laughter, good food and some wine for the guests. As the desserts were being cleared the the manager came over to our table. “Excuse me. We noticed you are here with family and are sorry you found a fly in your food. We would like to comp your entire meal. Please come back.”

Remember, the manager said this after being quite aware of what had been consumed cost-wise. We were a group of four adults and two kids. Since it was the only meal of their vacation, our guests had splurged.

When the waiter came to deliver the tab, all we owed was the tip. Let me repeat, when J.C. (Hmmmm) delivered our bill, all we paid was the tip.

I was the designated driver in those days. I transported a station wagon full of people home on a balmy summer night. Car windows were down as outside air filled the car. Things felt perfect, and I was absolutely stunned. I couldn’t believe it! I had voiced what I thought God wanted us to do, and God paved the way. This story has remained in my “backpack” for years as affirmation that as long as I am following God with a clear conscience, He will take care of every detail.

Stories connect us to each other.

Research indicates that positive story-telling about family members is one of the things that keeps families together over the generations. In our family, the story is often told about my little brother being lost as a child. The entire neighborhood was searching for him until he was found in our attic on a bed peacefully taking a nap. My uncle Kenny always tells the story of when I was little and afraid of the dark. I called out to him on a camping trip that I thought I heard a “‘pider” walking on the ceiling. I am in my sixties and he still tells that story and calls me “‘pider.” These stories make us laugh and keep us connected.

Stories connect us to God.

Scripture also tells us that story-telling about God is one of the things that teaches people the Lord is God, as evidenced in Exodus 10:1-2: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.” God knew that telling stories about Him — both the happy and the hard — would enable us to connect our life circumstances to His glory and create a faith connection between adults and children from one generation to the next.

What is one of your stories?

You can type it in the comments, or decide to tell a God story to your family tonight at dinner, or at the next family gathering when the stories start to flow.

Picture Explanation: Oh, the miracles that can happen when people gather around food. I know! I have lived some!

Speaking of living your life in a way that God shows up:     

If you are interested in being contacted to participate in a One Gritty Blink Bible study in 2023, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and contact me by email. The next opportunity for a face-to-face study starts June 7. Let’s focus on things that count for eternity!

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