What will the world miss if you don’t tell your story?

"Beats me!" I answered aloud to the speaker’s rhetorical question. I was attending the Storyline Conference in Chicago which, according to the website, would inspire and equip me to live a productive and meaningful life. I can’t remember a time when I felt more vulnerable or in need of direction.

Let me set the scene for you: I had just returned to the U.S. after living in Europe for four years. I was burnt out, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I was living paycheck to paycheck, working at a job that I hated. I felt no joy or excitement. I was floundering, bobbing up and down in the middle of life’s ocean, where every direction I turned looked exactly as vague as the last one.

The big question I kept asking myself was, "Why am I here?"

I looked around at my peers, who appeared to have their lives perfectly together. They all seemed to know what they wanted to do and were pursuing it with gusto. I, on the other hand, felt like a "jack-of-all-trades" and a master of none. I had many interests but none of them seemed to make a unique contribution to the world around me. I was confused, overwhelmed and embarrassed.

I also felt afraid. The unknown was a scary place, filled with uncertainty and far too many possible outcomes. I kept thinking that if only I could find the right option, I would feel more safe and secure. Perhaps the right direction would eliminate the possibility of failure, fear or struggle.

Maybe the questions that kept me up at night have also plagued you:

• What is my purpose?
• Will this job make me feel fulfilled?
• Is this relationship the right fit for me?
• Will I be okay financially, or will I regret taking this step?

As this waiting period dragged on, more fears began to surface. I realized that I was finding my value in what I was doing and not in the value lovingly given to me as a child of God (Galatians 3:26). I was afraid of being insignificant and forgettable to those around me. I was afraid that my relationship status and feelings of uncertainty would define me as a person and make me undesirable to others.

But as I challenged my thinking by reflecting on God’s promises in the Bible, the clarity I longed for began to sweep through my cluttered mind. Remembering how God sees me renewed my confidence to trust him with the unknowns of my future. As fear made way for faith, I could once again look at tomorrow with hope.

We’re all in different seasons in life’s journey. Some of us know where we’re headed but don’t know how to get started. Some of us feel confident that we know the direction to pursue but are questioning everything because we’ve run into difficulties. Others seem to be standing at a fork in the road, unsure of which way to go.

Wherever you find yourself today, let your hope be renewed by reflecting on God’s Word. These three Bible verses are a great start:

God has prepared us for the work he has for us.

Ephesians 2:10 says, "God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do." (GNTD)

God has promised to guide us.

Isaiah 30:21 says, "If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, 'Here is the road. Follow it.'"(GNTD)

God has promised to help us even when we stumble along the way.

Psalm 37:23-24 says, "The Lord guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please him. If they fall, they will not stay down, because the Lord will help them up." (GNTD)