Thoughts on Sharing our Stories, and the Sanctification of the Church

When we tell our stories, we risk. But we risk because we hope. We have hope that we will be understood. We have hope that the other will love us despite our failures and our admission of inadequacy, despite what we've done, where we've been, or in what ways we've been something other than who God created us to be. And it is this hope that makes the telling of our stories critical to the formation and continued vitality of community. I firmly believe that our struggles, abilities, successes, and experiences are not solely for our sanctification as individuals, but also for the sanctification - and even the functionality - of the Body of Christ. God allows us struggles in part for our own sanctification and participation in the sufferings and death of Christ, whom we are in and is in us. But God also allows us struggles so that we may encourage and challenge others into their own sanctification and participation in Christ's sufferings and death, and so in this we build up the Body. For since we participate in the sufferings and death of Christ, we also participate in His resurrection, not only as individuals, but also as the Body - His Body, His Bride - the Church.