I’m in the middle of Jennie Allen’s book, Made for This. It is a study, designed to walk you through different questions and activities to discover the purpose God has for you. (I’m not doing it justice with that description by the way…you should just read it and see for yourself!)

If you know me, you know I’m a pretty big fan of hers because she is real. There is an authenticity that comes through her words on the page and if you hear her speak, her heart aches for you to understand the message. I share her ache. The ache you have for someone to just get it! And not because you’re telling them, because you’ve experienced it.

She is big on discipling. After all, that is what we are supposed to do, right? She puts an emphasis on other women discipling younger women as well, because we have something to share. I learned this first hand.

I spent last weekend in South Carolina with an amazing group of women, leading at The Well. (Something we refer to as “not your average women’s retreat.”) I am so incredibly fortunate to lead with an amazing group of women. These friends come for you and say the tough stuff when it is needed. And even though it is the tough stuff, it is it bathed in love. And it isn’t all serious- we laugh more than most! It is a privilege to stand beside women who are a season or two ahead of me, and a season or two behind me.

After this weekend away, I am even more convinced that we need to stop worrying about having it all figured out before we share our story. First, we won’t ever achieve it- that’s perfection and it is unattainable. Second, they need to hear what we’ve been through, struggled with, succeeded in. Let someone else learn from your story.

There are three girls, ages 18-20, who I love so, so dearly! They are the real deal! They are wise beyond their years and walk so closely with the Lord. You can see His love ooze from them. I am pretty sure I see His smile in theirs.

It would be really easy for me to keep all the stupid mistakes and gross parts of my story under wraps because I don’t want them (or anyone) to think bad of me. I don’t want anyone to question my love and devotion to Jesus. But, those three amazing girls sat there and told all of us (old ladies) how thankful they were for our authenticity. They need to see other Christian women speaking the hard stuff. And we get real. There is no hiding on this team of women. We talked about dating and marriage and kids and how we struggled.

So back to Made for This– Jennie uses 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 which says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort of we ourselves receive from God.”

You guys! This verse tells us we need to share our stories. We need to offer the comfort we have received because someone else needs it as well. Think of it this way, walking through stuff gives you street cred. Urban Dictionary defines street credibility as “commanding a level of respect in an urban environment due to experience in or knowledge of issues affecting those environments.” Your stuff is a gift.  It doesn’t feel like a gift and you may not see it as one, but someone else will benefit from it if you let them. If you share it, they will share it, and you can comfort!

Jesus had street cred. He was fully God but he was also fully man. He felt pain and probably skinned his knee a time or two. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights so of course he felt hunger. He was betrayed and denied by his closest friends.  He knows what we are walking through on this earth. And by allowing troubles to come to us, He is giving us two gifts.  The first is the gift of coming to Him with our junk.  He knows all the things, He has experienced it all and He tells us to bring our burdens to Him. He wants to carry then for us and He is walking next to us. He holds you by His mighty right hand.  The second is allowing our junk for someone else’s benefit.  We may get to the other side or we may not, but we can be honest and walk alongside someone else.  We have the street cred now and it can a gift to someone else.  He is giving us time with Him and giving us the ability to show someone else how faithful He is because of what we’ve walked through.

What are you going to do? The beauty of God is that He gives us choices. Are you going to own your street cred?  Are you going to see it as a blessing or another thing that has gone wrong? Remember, God works ALL things together for good.

Share your stuff. Someone needs to hear it! God gave you the street cred to use for His glory.