All of us experience things in our lives that challenge us, concern us, and even hurt us. People with whom we come in contact change us, and they can change us for good or bad.

The temptations we face either make us stronger or they weaken us. How we decide to handle those temptations will determine our eternal destiny.

Such is true of those we find in the pages of scripture. They struggled just as we struggle, and each has a story to tell. Even though we can read events in the lives of men and women throughout scripture, I still sometimes find myself wondering if there was more to their stories. I know we have what we need to know and that the accounts were inspired by the Holy Spirit, but I would like to know more.

Joseph was a spoiled young man, favored by his father, and despised by his brothers. His brothers sold him into Egypt where he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, thrown in prison where he interpreted dreams for two of Pharaoh’s servants, forgotten and left in prison, and eventually saved this nation from ruin. I wonder if Pharaoh ever asked him, “What is your story?”

Would that have been true with Moses and his encounter with the priest of Midian in Exodus 2? Remember that Moses had left Egypt because he killed an Egyptian, and Pharaoh wanted to kill him. Moses, found his way to the land of Midian; and there he saved Jethro’s seven daughters from some shepherds.

You know that after Jethro showed his appreciation to Moses, he certainly got around to saying, “So what is your story?” I wonder how much of “his story” he told Jethro. Would he have told him about murdering an Egyptian? Would he have told him about being born a Jew and being raised in the house of Pharaoh?

Naomi traveled to Moab with her husband and two sons to avoid a famine in the land of Bethlehem. While in Moab, Naomi’s sons married, her husband died, and both of her sons died.

Naomi heard that the famine was over, and she wanted to return to her people. One of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, went with her to the land of Judah. We can be confident that her friends said, “What is your story?”

A young man named Daniel was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He and his three friends were taken because of their skills and knowledge.

Many things happened to these men, and they served under more than one king. Daniel’s friends survived being thrown into the fiery furnace. Daniel interpreted dreams for the king, translated the writing on the wall, and survived a night in a den of lions.

With all of the things that happened to Daniel and his friends, do you think anyone ever said to him, “What is your story?”

Most of us have more than one story to tell. Sometimes we don’t want to tell our story, and other times we need to tell our story. Will there be someone there to listen?

When Joseph found himself in prison in a strange country, he needed a friend. He had been mistreated by his own family, lied about by his master’s wife, forgotten by a man for whom he had done a favor, and there seemed to be no way out. He counted on the butler, whose dream he had interpreted, to put in a good word for him with Pharaoh. The butler, however, forgot! Eventually, he remembered Joseph, but what story could he have told about his experiences in prison?

Moses had committed a crime. Yes, he was protecting a fellow Jew; but he committed murder and was on the run. There seemed to be no one to defend him, not even the Jews he was protecting. He had to leave his family, his adopted family, his friends, and the people he loved. What story would he have told about his fear and his loneliness?

Naomi was a grieving widow. She had no one but a daughter-in-law from a different world. She returned to her home empty. What story would she have told about the strange country where she had lived and the suffering she experienced through the loss of her family?

Daniel was taken from his family and his people. He was forced to live in a nation that worshiped idols. He was respected only because of his knowledge of science and his ability to learn a foreign language. What stories would he have to tell about the training he received, how they tried to change his religious beliefs, and what abuse he might have suffered?

Their stories were sad. Their lives were a mess. Their futures didn’t look too bright. But if any of these were asked today, “What is your story?” I think they would say, “I suffered, but I endured because God was with me.” Each one was rewarded for a strong belief in God and an obedient faith.

When our troubles seem impossible; when our lives seem to be a mess; when we think we just can’t make it, all we need to do is remember that God in heaven is with us. We all have a story to tell, but the hope is that the end will be that we survived with God’s help.

Sandra Oliver