Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My Back Story

Every Christian has one.

Whether you grew up in the church or had a tough upbringing; most of us (who are believers) have had a point in our lives when we realized that without Jesus we would be so incredibly lost. That in our darkest of times, there was only one man who could heal the pain and lift us out of our deepest misery.

Each story, no matter how big or small, can speak volumes to those who desperately need to grab hold of Jesus. We all have a back story that others can relate to, that can show them how amazing our God is and remind them that what He did for us, He can also do for them.

When Jesse and I first started attending our church and began to realize that this was going to be our home, we knew that our past was something we were not going to keep a secret. We wanted to be honest about where we had been in our marriage and the struggles that ended up leading us to where we are today. We made a choice to go into this new church family with no secrets and with our biggest failures laid out before us. Thankfully, and much to my surprise, we were welcomed with open arms, no judgment and an attitude to help others with what we have learned through this process.

So when our church announced their new fall series a few months back called “My Back Story,” you better believe Jesse and I wanted to do it. Remember back when I first started our love redeeming series? In my first post I threw out a few statistics that make it very apparent that we were NOT the only couple at Freedom Life that had experienced or was currently experiencing infidelity.

My heart in doing this was to show the church that it’s ok to talk about infidelity; and for people going through it to feel more comfortable about going to the church for help.Too many times I have seen  churches condemn people for the mistakes they’ve made, instead of holding them and showing them the love that Jesus shows all of us on a daily basis. I have also seen many churches come together and gather around the broken. Thankfully, I’m in one of those churches. This makes it that much sweeter to participate in this series.

This week our church went live with the series. They have a great group of people telling their back story along with us, and if you have a few moments it’s worth taking a look. Ours is one of the first being told… here is a look at our video ...

(I must say, I wasn’t thrilled at first. I was incredibly self-conscious about the way I spoke. Worse, I had a moment of self-pity when I was consumed with my unflattering appearance, annoyed how this fancy HD camera seriously added 20lbs to a body I THOUGHT had lost all my baby weight, and then was embarrassed by the little shoulder shrug I added near the end. What was that?!)

No matter how unimpressed I was with myself in this video, I know that when we signed up to do this… it wasn't about me. It was about what God has done with this broken, hurt, doesn't always have it all together, VERY imperfect couple. It is about what He has brought this marriage out of, and about what He is now doing with all that we have learned.  It's about His promise to us and our family and proof that God never failed us. It's about Jesus making us stronger when we felt like we had nothing left to give.  It's so much bigger than me and I’m SO thankful that He is walking us through our Back Story.


20 comments:

http://sweetcanadian.blogspot.com/ said...

I think you are way harder on yourself than you need to be. You are your own worst critic. I would have NEVER even noticed the shrug if you hadn't pointed it out. I also never noticed the 20 extra pounds you are even talking about. Ease up on yourself girl!

Katie @ Loves of Life said...

Lyryn! It's amazing. The video is amazing. and you guys have a true testimony! So glad you shared this.

Kasey said...

Awesome post Lyryn. And great little video clip, don't be self-conscious, it was real.

The Life of Susan said...

so proud of you sweetie! praying lives are impacted by your testimony. you are beautiful just the way you are! xoxo

Lauren said...

This gave me goosebumps!!! What an amazing thing y’all are doing sharing your testimony. Lives are going to be changed!!

Renee and Brandon said...

Aw girl that was so sweet. I thought you looked GREAT! It's typical for females to think we look worse on camera or pictures but you looked great! Aside from that though it is great that you are able to share this with so many others!

Unknown said...

this is awesome! I'n happy you guys did this, I know it will help loads of couples. And? You look beautiful!

Megan Ashley said...

This is such a great post, and I love the video. It is real and moving. You look great, don't you ever forget that!!!!

Moments and Impressions said...

You are beautiful... and what you aren't seeing is the love in your eyes as you look at your husband... and when he looks at you.

Sarah said...

First of all...you are BEAUTIFUL!!! And great video, I'm sure you will touch many lives with your testimony!!!

Melissa said...

AMAZING!! I thought you were adorable in the video! Thanks for sharing with us!! :)

Sonya said...

It's wonderful! You guys did a great job!

Noe said...

Thank You so much for this post!
Believe me, you look perfect and I value your honesty and openness to share your back story. It means a lot to people who actually needs to hear the impact of Jesus in their live, not because we don't believe it.
But it's a reminder of the GREAT things he does, and that we should not wait any longer to serve God.
Great Post! Thank You again...

Ashley said...

LOVE the video! I totally understand being so critical of yourself, I am the same way. You were amazing though! We are definitely our own worst critic. It's so amazing to see what God is doing through your backstory!

Trina said...

Girl you are WAY too hard on yourself. You are beautifully and wonderfully made! I thought it was a great video and it's going to minister to a lot of people. <3 you friend!

Unknown said...

You look beautiful! This is such a wonderful video and reminder to have! I love the ending and such a perfect truth about what our stories might look like without Jesus. Great job to both of you, you are in my prayers today. =)

mel @ the larson lingo said...

I agree with everyone...you are way too hard on yourself! This was a great video..I am so proud of you both & your willingness to share what God is doing in you and through your marriage! Praying for you guys!

Brittany Ann said...

1. I think you look great, but I giggled when you mentioned the shrug, because I do stuff like that too, and it drives me nuts. But I didn't even notice you doing it until I read that.

2. I cried watching this. Because your back story is such an amazing testimony. And it takes so much courage for you to share this. And, well, I'm just so in awe of you!

Anonymous said...

that was perfect. how awesome that the Lord is using you this way in your church. and remember when you start to focus on all the crazy shoulder weight stuff that is satan trying to take your focus off what you are really doing and that is sharing your story and the work He has done in you guys.

Camie said...

This is amazing that you're sharing with your church. And I think you're amazing for not keeping your past a secret and being open and honest with your church. Way to go, girl!