This week at Impact, we continued our TrueFace module by learning the value of telling our stories, and hearing other students share their stories as well. We shared our real authentic selves, not only so people see the masks we put on, but to be able to take those masks off as well. We want to allow others to be able to love the broken parts of us and learn how our stories fit in God’s ultimate story of creation.
Telling our stories helped us remember how God, in the midst of our darkest moments, was calling us out of darkness and into the light. Listening to our peers’ life stories is key to building a very important thing, trust. Because of the brokenness of this world, we have learned to put up walls and barriers to hide and shield ourselves from the pain and hurt. At Impact, we have created a space where you can let out that pain, and not just trust your peers with holding that part of your story, but trusting them with your heart as well.
As we continued sharing, we also saw why hiding behind masks or presenting only a polished version of ourselves keeps us from real connection. When we only show the “cleaned up” parts of our lives, people don’t get to see the places where God has truly transformed us. Real transformation rarely happens in the parts we pretend are perfect.
Transformation happens in the messy, complicated, painful areas we usually want to hide. By being honest about where we have struggled, failed, or questioned, we actually help others understand the depth of God’s grace. Sharing our real stories shows the world that God meets us in real places, not imaginary perfect ones.
Hearing each other’s life stories deepened our sense of trust, compassion, and unity as a class. Walls that had been built for years started to come down in a matter of minutes because vulnerability created space for empathy. When someone shared their story, we didn’t just learn information, we learned their heart. And as we listened, we found ourselves growing closer, feeling more like a family than just a group of students placed in the same room. Compassion grew naturally because hearing someone’s burdens makes it impossible to remain distant.
Our stories reveal a lot of who we are and who we used to be, but most importantly, they hold a powerful testimony of God’s redemption. They reveal key moments where God’s hand was and is at work in our lives, helping us reflect on the truth of God’s goodness, recognizing that we are broken and remembering his immense and immeasurable grace for us. We saw how we used to chase after God’s overflowing love in all the wrong places, thinking the things of this world can fill a God-shaped hole in us, and then God saved us from our sorrow, giving us new life and purpose found in him.
Vulnerability plays a significant role in showing Christ to the world, because when we open up about our weaknesses, Christ’s power becomes clearer. Practicing transparency now equips us to share the hope of the Gospel with others in the future, because we are learning not to be ashamed of the work God has done in us. Our stories matter because they reveal the Author behind them, Christ, who is weaving all things together for His glory and the good of His people.
-Danel Ocasio, Class 20, Puerto Rico