The Power of a Life Story

The radio wasn’t big.  It was black, and about the size of a loaf of homemade bread.  In fact, it was fairly typical for the 1960s – as both a clock and a radio. The left side was dominated by a clock - with hour and minute hands.  There was also a sweeping second hand that never stopped.  Then, on the right side, there was a dial that moved a sliding red marker up and down for tuning in stations.
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As far as radios go, its reception was average.  Its function was utilitarian.  Its look was basic. And, there was nothing special about it.  But, for fueling the imagination of a young boy, it sure was powerful.

​I know.  Without really realizing it, I stared at that radio for hours on end. It was a window for me to see beyond my little world.  It brought drama to my life, mostly in the form of sports.  I loved hearing the story of a game unfold.  I listened to professional baseball the most, but any sport, at any level, held my interest as the announcers brought the game to life.   

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​My mom liked to listen to the radio as well.  In the evenings she would listen to a smattering of Christian programs.  For the most part, she listened to music, but there was one half-hour program that mesmerized me.  It drew me to the power of a life story.  The program was simply called “Unshackled”.  

​"Unshackled" originated from The Pacific Garden Mission in downtown Chicago.  Pacific Garden Mission is a rescue mission reaching homeless and hurting men, women, and children with food, shelter, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ since 1877.  “Unshackled” was a dramatized story of people whose lives had been transformed by God’s saving grace.  Each week there was a new story of a changed life.  Individuals who were “down and out” were transformed by God’s love.  They were now “unshackled” from the power of sin.  And, I was spellbound.  

Each week, the story started with an intro – followed by a building crescendo of an organ.  Then, with its lilting strains, the episode began.  Fifty years later, episodes are still being made each week as part of the ministry of Pacific Garden Mission.  And, it was through this radio program that I was drawn to the power of a life story for the first time.

While I was captivated by the stories, and I learned about God transforming lives - I had a dilemma, though.  I loved the stories, and I was intrigued, but I couldn’t really relate to them.  There was a bit of a disconnect.  I wasn’t homeless.  I hadn’t been delivered from alcoholism or drug addiction.  I didn’t have a dramatic spiritual conversion. So, as my own story began to unfold, it felt tame and melodramatic in comparison.  I wasn’t sure if I really had much of a testimony. 

Until, I realized something significant. 

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God made me for His purposes.   He wants me to know him, obey him, trust him, and be willing to be used by him.    And, every life that chooses to follow him IS a testimony of God at work.  My audience isn’t the same as “Unshackled”.   My message isn’t the same, but that’s okay.   I only need to embrace God’s purposes for making me.  I only need to be moldable and intentional in being the man he has called me to be.   If I do that, then God’s transforming power through Jesus will be seen.  It's God's story anyway, not mine.  It's his power.   When God is allowed to work - that's the power of a life story. 

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Next Time: Looking Back to See Ahead

Photo Credits:
Top: Image by Free-Photo from Pixabay
Middle: Pacific Garden Mission Fan Page - Facebook
Bottom: Image by LuAnn Hunt from Pixabay