Josh Samarco

Yesterday, I was reminded of what God has done for me. As I was having a conversation with a young man about life, dreams, and the future God simply whispered to me, “don’t forget what I’ve done for you.” Why did God whisper this to me and drop this in my spirit? Too often, I believe, followers of God, including myself take God’s power, protection and love for granted. I know I have. We often hear the cliche, count your blessings, well maybe I don’t count my blessings enough.

“This could be you on the other end of this conversation. Have you forgotten what I’ve done for you?” These words rang loud and clear in my head. Many people see the result of all of the work God has done in my life and see where I am now but many do not know the back story to my life before God intervened. Yesterday, and even this past week I have been reminded of my story. I was 17 years old, depressed, lost, wanting to give up on life, confused, making poor decisions, controlled by substances, bad habits and not knowing my identity in Christ. This was me. This is my story.

As I continued in my conversation with the young man and began to hear more of his story, God was saying to me, his story is your story and your story is his story. Although the two of us sitting at the table were in different places in life, our stories are what connects us. Until we began to have a conversation with one another, I would have never known he went to prison at the age of 17, has two kids and is looking to make the best of his opportunities in life. If we would have never begun in this mentoring relationship, he would never come to know, I was once on probation, doing community service hours, been in the back of a police car in handcuffs, almost on my way to jail and possibly being sent off to a juvenile detention center.

My life is not all that. I desperately need Jesus every day. I have to depend on the strength He provides me. I am a mess without Him! A great thing is, my story is not complete. I am still a work in progress. I am not perfect. I am a guy who is in love with the Creator. I have a story to tell. You have a story to tell. The person at the cash register has a story to tell. Our stories can impact each other. We have to be willing to have conversations with people. With God in the equation, our stories become more powerful to share.

A prayer you can pray:

God, thank You for giving me a story to share. God, thank You for reminding me, I am nothing without You. I know sometimes I tend to forget how you shifted my focus, my life and my perspective around. I was headed in a terrible direction but Your love rescued me. You have allowed me to pursue greatness. You have granted me access to the keys of Heaven right here on earth. Continue to allow my life and my story to be an inspiration to all of those You desire for me to come into contact with. I am forever grateful and thankful to be apart of Your story on earth!

P.S. Share your story with someone new this week!