Three Reasons Your Story Matters

by John Eiselt

Sixteen years ago on Black Friday I was standing in the middle of the main corridor of a mall in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

It was the final semester of my senior year in college and while I finished my degree, I was working at a mall kiosk selling “zoom-copter” toys.

The job consisted of standing in the middle of the corridor next to the kiosk “flying” the helicopter.

The mission was simple and was based on the reality that people were more likely to purchase something when they can see or experience how it works.

I tested this theory and discovered that they were right!

When I stood next to the kiosk holding the helicopter inside the package, people walked by like I was invisible, presuming it was a junky plastic toy.

However, when I assembled the helicopter and was able to successfully launch the helicopter out of my hand, it would make a swooping radius high in air and return back to my hand like magic.

When this happened people would flock to the kiosk like pigeons on to breadcrumbs and would buy the zoom-copters by the arm-full.

In the marketplace, a strong testimonial is one of the strongest marketing tools there is. It tells a story that connects us to something bigger, to the mission behind the “product.”

In our lives, and more specifically in our faith and journey with God, our stories and our lives have the same effect.

However, the strongest testimonies are not always “successes” or “wins.”

It’s the journey behind the story that points people to a bigger truth, purpose, and ultimately to the God who is writing the story.

This weekend, come discover the three reasons your story matters in the grander story that God has written.

We will discover together how our lives and stories are at the heart of God’s mission to our world.

Photo by Anna Dziubinska on Unsplash.