"Everyone Has a Story"
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I grew up surrounded by faithful Christians. Though I'm grateful for the influence they all had in my life, sometimes, I wonder if my faith would seem more credible to the world if my story were different. Would people view my stand for the truth with more "weight" if I had walked the road of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), having come home from a faraway land after living in sin?
But friends have shared similar feelings with me, from the other side. Believers who wonder how much further along they'd be in their spiritual growth if they'd come from more godly upbringings, or obeyed Christ earlier in life. So, it would seem that the grass does tend to be greener on the other side of the fence.
As Paul considered his past, he kept it all in perspective.
"... If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more ... But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:4-8).
Your Past Doesn't Define You
It's tempting to look back on the successes we've had, the mistakes we've made, and the opportunities we've either seized or missed. But spending too much time dwelling on "what could have been" can be extraordinarily distracting and discouraging. Fortunately, God doesn't care about your background. He only cares about who you are today! As he looked beyond Paul's attempts to destroy the church, towards a man he could use to build it up, he can look beyond your past too. But our backgrounds can still be a valuable tool in his service.
God Can Use Your Story
The church is socially, economically, and nationally diverse by design. And with our diversity, we're all uniquely useful. As Paul said, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:27). God can use your story in his service. It's not something to hide or be ashamed of, rather a tool to be used and shared with others. God has put you exactly where he needs to, to be a functional member of Christ's body (1 Cor. 12:18). And you can be a source of great encouragement to others when you share your past successes or failures with them.
May God strengthen us in Christ, to move beyond our background and grab hold of the work we can do for him today.
