LLB STORIES: WHAT’S YOURS?

We believe in the power of sharing what Jesus has done in your heart and how He is actively changing your life. When everything around us feels less than beautiful, or when our plans change drastically, we can cling tightly to the beauty of the Gospel and the way that it literally changes our lives! Your story is the one thing that is forever and uniquely yours, and yet it can powerfully affect the lives of so many if you are willing to share it with the people God places in your life.

Today we want you to hear from Brittany. Brittany is 23, from Marietta, Georgia, and she loves Jesus. Her story may sound very familiar or even similar to yours, or it may feel entirely different – but there is beauty to be found through the ways Christ weaves His love and grace throughout our sister’s lives. We can rejoice together in that common thread of mercy and redemption no matter how different our stories are from one another’s.

A LIFE LIVED BEAUTIFULLY

What is your definition of a Life Lived Beautifully? “A Life Lived Beautifully means to me living a life in full pursuit of what God has for my life.”

How has the Give Me Jesus journal encouraged you in your walk with the Lord? “This simple journal has been so influential in my walk with Christ because it has enabled me to be more intentional about my quiet time and writing about current life events and circumstances. The best part about journaling is having the ability to look back on what God has done in my life and see how He has moved in every part of my story, even when I could not see it at the time.”

How has the LLB Community encouraged you in your walk with the Lord? “Being part of the LLB Community has been so inspiring for me personally because watching Gretchen do ministry has been a catalyst in my own life and encourages me that girl’s/women’s ministry is what God is calling me to do. Another blessing that the LLB Community brings is joining together women from across the country and even the world to study the Word of God – it truly is a beautiful thing!”

What is your testimony? When did you start following Jesus? “I started following Jesus at a very young age, I know who Jesus was and believed in Him but I truly began to fully pursue Him when I was 17 and thought my world had just ended. I played travel softball for 13 years and it was my everything. My dream was to play in college, but that dream came to an end after three hip surgeries and hearing the doctor say I could no longer play the sport that I loved. Little did I know He would use that loss in my life to open up opportunities I never dreamed of.

I began to work on staff at my church for the student ministry and fell in love with ministry. Today, I am in the crossroads of feeling called to pursue girl’s/women’s ministry without really an idea of what that looks like. Gretchen and the LLB Community is such an inspiration, especially with the home base being in the Atlanta area, because I LOVE how you have allowed God to use you in such a way to inspire and challenge girls to get into the Word and as  I tell my girls in student ministry to fall in love with Scripture and with their Savior.”

KNOW GOD & MAKE HIM KNOWN

The Enemy would love nothing more than to keep us quiet. He will tell us that our stories don’t measure up or aren’t beautiful enough to share. We can look side to side and compare our stories to our sisters – shame may creep in and keep us in fear, insecurity may paralyze and prevent us from opening up, and fear of judgment may cause us to stay quiet. But the truth for every believer is that God has created you uniquely and He knows you inside and out (Psalm 139:13-14, Psalm 119:73-74), He has redeemed you from brokenness (Romans 5:8), and sharing your story is a way that you can express all He has done in your life (Psalm 118:17)!

Brittany’s story reminds us that we do not get to see the end of the story – or even the middle sometimes – but God can see our story from start to finish. He asks us to just take the next step, to trust that He’s going to show you what to do, what to study, who to date, where to go to school, how to discipline your children, how to heal after heartbreak, how to keep going in seasons of loss, and everything else in between – in His perfect timing. God doesn’t write your story then send you out into the world with a pat on the back for good luck – He sustains and carries you through every page turn, every broken heart, every joy, every shortcoming, and every comma along the way.

Our gracious Heavenly Father is writing your story with His Kingdom in mind – so even when you do not understand the exact chapter you may find yourself in, you can trust that God is working out everything for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28) because He is the main character of the story! Praise God that this life is actually about HIM – then tell your story to the praise and fame of His glorious name, friends!