You Never Know the Difference Your Story Will Make

SUMMER.

My favorite season.

The girls and I were at the camper this past week enjoying everything that comes with it—morning kayaking, more time outside, card games, afternoons at the pool, evening walks, and a break from the usual routine. At one point, we needed to restock our food supply, so we headed to a local grocery store.

On our way through the checkout line, one of the workers walked up to my oldest daughter, pointed at her In-We-Go Resort shirt, and said, "In-We-Go Resort, 1969. I have a story to tell you."

She explained that her family was driving by In-We-Go when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon. More than 50 years later, she still remembered the exact spot where they were when they heard the news.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Apparently, whenever she sees someone wearing an In-We-Go shirt, she tells the story.

My oldest smiled and said, "That's cool."

My youngest, on the other hand, has been retelling the story to anyone who will listen.

And I had chills.

Not because of the moon landing, but because of what happened next. A story that had stayed with one woman for decades was now being retold by a nine-year-old girl who wasn't even alive when Neil Armstrong took that step.

The woman in the grocery store probably has no idea that her story followed us out the door. She certainly couldn't have known that my daughter would still be talking about it days later. She just shared something that mattered to her, and somehow it found a new audience in a nine-year-old girl.

As I thought about it later, I remembered Paul's story. Luke records Paul's come-to-Jesus moment three different times in the book of Acts. First in Acts 9 when it happened. Then Paul retells it in Acts 22. And again in Acts 26. Paul never seemed to get tired of telling the story of how Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and changed his life. He didn't move on from it or assume everyone had already heard it. He kept telling it.

Paul couldn't have known that people would still be reading his testimony two thousand years later. The woman in the grocery store couldn't have known that her moon landing story would catch the attention of a little girl spending a week at the campground. Both stories continue to be told because someone was willing to share them.

I think that's why Psalm 66:16 hits me: "Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me."

As I've reflected on that grocery store conversation, I've realized that I spend too much time deciding whether my story is important enough, interesting enough, or worth repeating. Maybe I've told it before. Maybe the details feel ordinary to me or I'm having an introvert day. But what if someone needs to hear it? What if the lesson God taught me is exactly what someone else needs today?

The woman at the grocery store wasn't trying to change lives. She was telling a story that mattered to her. Paul was doing the same thing when he shared how Jesus changed his life. Neither one knew where their story would end up, and that's the point. We don't get to decide which stories people remember or which conversations God uses. Our job is to tell the story and trust Him with the rest.

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Want the full story?

You can find a few extra details on this week's podcast episode.

About Make Monday Matter

Make Monday Matter is my weekly devotional where I share reflections on faith, running, and the small ways God shows up in everyday life.