Single Mom, It’s Time to Tell Your Story by Lekeshia Cody

I’m not sure whether or not you know this, but there’s something powerful that takes place when you tell your story. Revelation 12:11 says that we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony. Before you stop reading this and say "this isn’t for me," or "I don’t have a story to tell" - can I share a secret with you? We all have a story to tell. We all have a testimony. We’ve all been through something that changed our lives from the inside out. We all have that memory that tugs on our gut when we think about it. We all have that anxious feeling when we have a flashback of something that occurred. We all have that moment of silence when we hear or see someone else encountering the same thing that we have encountered. We all have a story to tell.

A testimony can be defined as publicly recounting a time in which God did something that was particularly worth sharing. Now don’t get too religious on me. You may be thinking, everything that God does is worth sharing, and I agree with you 100%. But what about the ugly things He brought you out of? What about the secret things He delivered you from? What about the way He healed your broken heart? What about that time when you had no money and didn’t know how you were going to make it? What about the time when you were abused? What about the time the doctors told you they saw something, but when they checked again there was nothing there? Are you following me? What about those stories? The ones that you feel are too hard to talk about. The ones where God didn’t come through how you wanted Him to come through, but as time went on, and you looked back, you realized that all things worked out for your good - because as Romans 8:28 says, "all things work together for good to them that love God." I want you to know that although everything about God, and everything that He does is worth sharing, those stories are worth sharing even more.

I also want you to know that if you made it on the other side of that testimony, then God wants you to share your story. He knew that there would be someone else who needed to hear that story. He knew that as you shared your story not only would you heal and overcome, but the people that you’re called to would heal and overcome. God knew that.

When you went through the gut-wrenching pain, He knew it wouldn’t kill you, even though you thought it would. When you went through the homelessness, He knew that wasn’t permanent for you, even though you thought it was. When you didn’t know how you were going to feed your kids, God knew. When you didn’t know how you would get gas to put in your car to make it to work, God knew how. However, there is also someone else out there that is going through the same thing, and they don’t know how they are going to make it. They look like you. They are in the same community as you. They come from the same background as you. They need to see someone that looks like them to let them know that trouble don’t last always. They need to hear someone talk about how they were also molested as a child, but by the grace of God, they are now healed and whole. They need to hear someone’s testimony of how God is a provider, and that He will never leave the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging for bread. 

I want you to know that someone is you.

Yes, you. The “unfinished” you. The “I'm not ready” you. The “my story is still being written” you. The “I don’t like talking in front of people” you. The “not confident” you. Should I go on? Okay, seems like you got it. God wants to use you to tell of His goodness. God chose you before the foundation of the earth. This was all part of His plan. Nothing you went through came as a surprise to Him. He knew that He would get the glory out of you telling your story. I want you to know that you are capable. I want you to know that God has given you everything that you need to deliver your story. Don’t worry about how it’s going to look or how it’s going to sound. The people that are called to you are going to be delivered and transformed by every word. I know this sounds scary, but God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND. You’re working with power. Power to overcome. Power to deliver. Power to heal. Power to save. Power to set free. Power to be you. You’re working with love. You’ll tell your story with love. As you tell your story, people will sense the love of God, as a result it’ll lead to hope. You’re working with a sound mind. Let’s face it, you’re an overcomer and anyone that’s an overcomer has a sound mind. A sound mind means you have sufficient mental capacity. So regardless of what lies the enemy is trying to place in your ear, you can do this! Here are 5 ways that you can tell your story:

#1  |  PODCASTING

This is probably one of my favorite ways, but podcasting. Podcasting is an excellent way to get your voice heard. You have the option of doing audio only, or you can do both video as well as audio. With podcasting you can reach the audience that you are called to. You don’t have to share all of your story at once, you can share it over time. Either way, podcasting is a great tool for sharing your story.

#2  |  WRITE A BOOK

The second way you can share your story is by writing a book. I know what you’re thinking, I don’t have time. Say this with me, times have changed. For people who don’t have time to write, you can hire a ghostwriter, there’s now AI, where you can speak and it’ll write your book for you, or you can create an audiobook. Books are a great way to get your story out there.

#3  |  USE SOCIAL MEDIA

The third way you can share your story is by way of social media. You can create a brand based off of who you are and what you’ve overcome. You can go live on social media, you can create communities such as “The Praying Single Mom” (shameless plug). Social media provides a range of different ways you can share your story, the great thing is, it’s free.

#4  |  PUBLIC SPEAKING

The fourth way you can share your story is by way of public speaking. This may not be on your list, especially if you have a fear of public speaking, however it’s a great way for people to not only hear you, but they can see you, as well as experience who you are.

#5  |  HAVING A CONVERSATION

The fifth way you can share your story is just by simply having a conversation with the person you feel it may help in that moment. You may not get paid for it, but those secret and private sessions are worth a whole lot more in the kingdom. You may even win a soul.

My prayer and hope for you is that you’ll never stop telling your story because there is someone out there who needs what you have to share.

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