Trusting and Practicing Your Story in God’s Story

“Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?’” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:9-14, NLT)

One great temptation that often plagues leaders of faith is imposter syndrome. Though we likely believe that God is in what we feel called to do, there is a serious temptation towards doubt and apprehension towards failure in those partnering with God’s Spirit in kingdom building. What’s reassuring is that our ancestors in the faith also shared these feelings, and we get to rely on the testimonies of how God met them in their doubt. 

I believe doubt and fear are nurtured by limiting beliefs. Specifically, I mean: 1) beliefs about yourself, others or the world; 2) that are often negative; 3) that subconsciously inform your worldview; 4) that are shaped by factors such as life experience, upbringing, mental/emotional health, etc. When Paul talks about the renewal of the mind, I have no doubt that he is talking in part about these kinds of limiting beliefs. 

You will only live and love as big as the story (yours and God’s) you tell yourself. In the same way God brings clarity to the story Moses is telling himself, God wants to heal the story in you. If you have never sat down with the story you are telling yourself and reflected on whether that story aligns with the one God is telling about who you are, I encourage you to do so, and frequently. Even after God reminds Moses of who He is, Moses trusts God’s story, but not when it counts on him to be a courageous part of it. He worries about whether others will believe or listen to him, and he worries about his way with words. Even in the presence of God and in the midst of a miracle, Moses recoils at the idea that God wants to continue His story through him, pleading for God to send someone else. 

You don’t have to be in ministry long before this experience rings true. We serve a God who is boundless mystery and yet intimately knowable. He resides with and in us, and He yearns to help us trust His story, a story that includes each of us. During a campus ministry discussion group, we were sharing how the way we think about ourselves affects our lives. One student who trusts God’s story in beautiful ways proclaimed:

If God really is I am, and if I really bear His image, I better not be finishing the sentence “I am…” in any other way than what is true about God. If I say I am ugly, I am unworthy, I am useless, I’m lying to myself and God because that isn’t the image I bear.

This reflection was so profound yet strikingly simple, and it becomes an easy litmus test to know whether the story I am telling about myself is of God or not. So in order to really think about what is true and good, I believe we must know the story we are telling ourselves, to ensure it reads in light of the story God has made us a beloved part in. One great truth is the fact that God has made it no secret to us what our kingdom narrative is like.

Isaiah 61 has become a cherished text for when I need to be reminded of God’s story. God’s story has been consistent all along, and it has been woven through the Bible and into our lives. Jesus came not only to save us, but to bring us back to the story we have always been a part of, and this is good news! However, we must be people who desire to receive and live in light of the good news. In Luke 4:14-21, Jesus reads from Isaiah, reciting the prophecy of the Messiah and the good news of the kingdom that He was and is to bring, and yet the people refused to trust the story and so rejected Him. This is the tension we live in: even when presented with the good and true story, we still may choose to live by a different one. 

Though you are not likely to go that far out of the story and reject Jesus, you may be tempted to be more like Moses and let your limiting beliefs control the extent of your role. One action that helps me trust more deeply is something our Campus Minister at The Well calls “missional adventuring.” Missional adventures are creative efforts that expand our capacity and comfort to engage in ministry in light of how the Spirit is working and inviting us to join in. It’s a willingness and awareness to see what God is doing, and choose to say “yes” in creative, co-laboring ways. Missional adventuring helps you take a step to trust God’s story in a way that combats the limiting beliefs you may be operating in. For example, if you are anything like Moses and are fearful of your ability to communicate, you may ask God to help you notice people who do something that Jesus would really love and tell them what you see in them, and that Jesus would really like what they are doing! Or maybe you worry that you don’t have the right personality for teaching or leading. Perhaps that could look like asking a friend to be an audience of one for the thoughts and reflections God is calling you to share with others. If we serve and bear the image of a God who sets the captive free, recovers sight to the blind and has good news for the poor, then He definitely has the power to help us talk to our neighbor or find the courage to speak life to another (or even ourselves).