Embrace Your Story
Embrace Your Story
Everyone has a story and each of our stories, no matter how imperfect or broken, can and will be used by God in His greater story. Embracing your story is embracing God's story--a story of healing and hope.
Locations & Times
First Baptist Church Seminole Tx
202 SW Ave B, Seminole, TX 79360, USA
Sunday 4:30 AM
Welcome to First Baptist. This page is where you will find the sermon notes and more information about what is happening at FBC.
Stay connected:
www.fbcseminole.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FirstSeminole
Twitter: @Seminolefbc
Instagram: @fbcseminolekids
@fbcseminole_youth
We meet Sundays:
9:00 am Worship
10:30 am Worship
Connect Groups throughout the week.
Generosity through Giving
We want to thank those of you who give faithfully and systematically to our church. We hope you know how important your giving is to what God is doing at FBC Seminole, in our community, and across the planet through the different ministries we are able to partner with through your financial generosity. We've fixed plumbing, remodeled kitchens, replaced shingles, celebrated our teachers, and made a difference in a host of other opportunities. Your generosity matters. We offer Financial Peace University on a consistent basis for those who need financial help. It's a financial management system that allows multitudes to eliminate debt and live in freedom. Text the amount you want to give to 84321.
Living His Story
Read Plan
We all love a good story, don’t we? Let’s look at a few:
The Lord of the Rings - A story of overcoming the odds
Harry Potter - A story of love overcoming evil
Star Wars - A story of how it's never too late to turn back
There’s a reason these stories are popular, they speak to our own experience of what it means to be human. The best stories draw us into the narrative and make us feel as if we are experiencing them in real time. We feel like we are a part of them, and they a part of us. But stories aren’t just fiction. We all have stories.
My grandparents love telling stories, and I love hearing them!
Esther and King Xerxes
Don’t think of this as being some kind of ancient season of The Bachelor. It’s far from that. When Esther met the king she was likely not even 16 yet. And that’s not all, there’s all kinds of corruption and deception happening behind the scenes in this story.
1) Our Story is not perfect
Esther’s story is not a Hallmark movie. She is instantly ripped away from everything and everyone she knows. For all intents and purposes, her life, the one she knew, was over.
And isn’t that where some of us are today? All of us, in some form or another, have experienced (or will experience) hardships, hiccups in our stories.
None of our stories are perfect. And that’s the power of a story. The power of a testimony. It allows us to look at each other and say “me too.”
Imperfection is not an impasse, it’s a road to empathy. Imperfection allows us to understand what others are going through and let them know they are not alone. Honesty in our experience and vulnerability in sharing makes way for true relationships to blossom.
2) God is present in our story (you just need to look for Him)
The book of Esther is that it is the only book in the Bible which never explicitly mentions God.
Just because God is not mentioned, it does not mean He is absent.
Regardless of if we give Him credit, God moves in our lives. He redeems what many consider irredeemable. He has a way of doing that.
God is the author of our stories. And as the author, He wants to use our stories.
3) Our story is God’s story (and vice-versa)
Esther needed encouragement to act on behalf of her people
Esther may be the main character, but she is not the only one that matters. Sometimes we may find ourselves suffering from "Main Character Syndrome."
Main Character Syndrome - thinking we are the main character of the universe
Despite being the main character, Esther did not suffer from main character syndrome. She actually needed to embrace that status! That’s where Mordecai comes in. Despite not being the main character, Mordecai still has a role in this story. He must help Esther see how important she is in the story.
Mordecai’s message to Esther is this: “Embrace your story!” Or, to put in another way, “Embrace your role in God’s story!” Mordecai see’s that Esther is in the midst of a story larger than herself.
God wants us to be a part of His story. Each of us, in our own unique and special way, have a part to play in the grand story of God.
Just as a story is more than the words we say, so too is God’s story more than words on a page, it’s a people.
It doesn’t matter if your story is not perfect. Imperfection is God’s favorite canvas to use in His storytelling. God can use anyone in His storytelling, no matter how broken or scarred.
In 1464, a sculptor named di Duccio was commissioned to make a statue out of a large block of marble. Not long after starting, di Duccio declared the marble to be no good, and he left his project unfinished. Another sculptor, Antonio tried and failed all the same, saying the marble was no good. So the block of marble, marked, carved and scarred sat there for 25 years. Until one day a young 26-year-old sculptor, on his first commission, gave it a shot.
That sculptor was Michelangelo, and that “useless” block of marble became David.
Each and every one of us is like that block of marble. Maybe we can’t see it, but God is creating a masterpiece.
Embrace your story. Share it unashamed. Testify to the goodness of God in your life!