Even A Seemingly Tiny Story Can Travel Great Distances
By: Susan Deborah Schiller
Taking a quantum leap and rewriting your future begins with crafting a story. To help people make the leap from fear-based thinking to the ways of the Kingdom of God, Jesus used the power of "tiny stories" – parables. It's simple and fun, and we can ALL do it!
"Even a seemingly tiny story can travel great distances and deeply affect other people. As writers, most of us can remember how hearing or reading a certain story at the right moment can cause a quantum shift in consciousness.
For instance, when I read Maya Angelou's stories and found out that she had been abused as a child, I shifted my life to accommodate the truth of my own abuse, and resolved to heal, and not live in shame or secrecy any longer. Her raw, truthful stories led me to write my own books and speak about the subject to groups of people all over the world. I was healed by this." — SARK
How does it work?
Someone tells a tiny story, like Gerald Rogers, who shared one of the biggest life lessons he discovered through the pain of his divorce after 16 years of marriage. He may have thought to himself, "What marriage advice would I have liked to have known before my wedding day?"
He began by saying: "Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had…"
Gerald's story touched on the pain in both men and women's hearts and offered them a slice of hope that they might be able to experience more happiness if they learned from Roger's mistakes. It was a vulnerable moment for Gerald Rogers, but his tiny story went viral and impacted millions of families.
My friend, Kimberly Dimick, was an abused wife who reached the end of her rope. One night she left her home, got in her car, and was ready to end her life. Just as she was about to crash her car, a cowboy appeared, who shared a story – he told her a story about herself! – and the story changed her life forever. Her marriage went from ruin to restoration. Her story has helped to save my own life, and the lives of hundreds of other men and women.
Hearing the right story at the right moment can cause a quantum shift in consciousness. — SARK
THE FIRST STEP to taking a QUANTUM LEAP is SEEING by FAITH! Stories are the lenses that help us to SEE what is possible.
At age 64, Murry Lincoln, a pastor for 35 years, was fired by his congregation just short of retirement, he lost everything: his job, his identity, his friends, his medical benefits, and his retirement fund. He was fired because there wasn't enough money in the church budget to support him.
Murry's tiny memoir story, "But God!" has given hundreds of people a quantum shift as he tells his story of how God used this ugly, dark time in his life to shift him to a higher gear and to begin living the life of his dreams! His story takes on fairy tale quality as he begins "once upon a time" and tells another tiny life story of his grandfather, the woodcarver of Misty Hollow.
My friend, Carolyn Hughes, had hit rock bottom. Doctors had given her a 2% chance to live. She grew up in a misogynist home, abandoned at the age of three by her mother. Not only did she live, but her life has been completely transformed. Her story, "Believing for a Breakthrough," is powerfully helping to pull many out of the hell of depression, addictions, and despair.
One of my own "tiny stories" is written for those who feel lost in a dark wilderness – rejected, abandoned, and feeling like even God is absent. It was a time in my life when I was living in a physical high plains desert, deserted by my husband, homeless, destitute, and desperate to know WHY and WHAT happened! I wrote "Dance with Me" and it resonated with many other desert dwellers. It's a lesson about the power of stillness and silence and learning to dance.
Your stories are more valuable than gold and are a whole box full of treasure!
"Even a seemingly tiny story can travel great distances and deeply affect other people." — SARK
Writing a memoir is life transformational and healing, but the task may seem, at first, daunting. That's why I created a free e-cource called "My Mini-Memoir".
It's a journey we take together in collecting our tiny stories into an heirloom quality book of 100 full-color pages or less. You will capture not only your memories and photos, but it will guide you through definining your values, purpose, and life mission. You might call it a "living family legacy"!
Let's Activate!
Nothing changes unless we first change.
So, here's your first activation:
Take a moment to remember what you did as a little girl (or boy). What did you imagine yourself being and doing? What were your favorite books, toys, and games? Do you have one photo (or 2-3) that "says it all"? Maybe it captures an expression on your face that speaks to you of a value you treasure, such as "faith," "joy," or "justice".
This tells a lot about YOU and what you're uniquely designed to be and do. Listen to my friend, Linda, as she shares her experience in "I Dare to Dream Again!" The act of remembering caused a shift in her mindset. She says:
"I remembered my dreams, my hopes, and my childhood aspirations. A light, a pin light, pierced my darkness.
The God of the impossible miraculously brought me out of the darkness, three years later. I’ve ridden horses along the Lakes of Kilarney, Ireland. I’ve hiked and camped across Texas. I danced at my daughter’s wedding. I sing out loud pretty much anytime I get the notion."
It's just a tiny step to start your mini-memoir, and yet it's really a quantum leap!
You're on the journey to freedom and fullness!
To stay in touch and learning more about creating a mini-memoir, I invite you to join me on the adventure! Together we're using the treasures of our past to rewrite our future, creating a living family legacy. Remember, the right story at the right time can change someone's life!
Sue
PS Your activation is to select one of the short memoir stories on this page and read it. Read 2-3 more, if you like, so that you can see how each writer's voice and style are unqiue. As always, I'm right alongside you, writing with you. If you'd like to read one short memoir chapter of mine, here's "In Case of Sudden Disaster, Grin!"
Susan Schiller knows how it feels to lose everything: marriage and family, church and reputation, finances and businesses, and more. Susan's upcoming, interactive memoir, "On the Way Home," tells the story of how she came to be known as "the most abused woman" her counselors had yet met and how she learned to navigate her way out of hell to a rich and satisfying life. In her lifetime, Susan has served in duties ranging from home school mom – to pastor – to full-time deliverance minister – and to Midwest regional prayer coordinator for a large international ministry. These days you can usually find Susan soaking in her favorite hot springs pool, reading a book (or several), blogging, baking bread, or hanging out with her family and friends. You can get a free copy of Susan's upcoming book, "On the Way Home" by registering here.
Copyright 2010-2014, Susan Schiller, http://TeamFamilyOnline.com. For reprint permission for any private or commercial use, in any form of media, please contact Susan Schiller.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Just reading through the snippets of stories here is so encouraging. Even though there is so much hope, you share the abundance of healing and restoration.
If only all those hurt souls could have even a glimmer of the faith you have for the miraculous, they would be changed forever.
Wonderful Susan!
You are one of those whose stories has helped to change my life, Carolyn! I was so thrilled that you recorded your whole testimony on audio, for even though I had heard snippets – the full power of your story was released when you started from the beginning. There’s so much power in our stories, as I know you know…. I’m grateful for your friendship and I’m looking forward to the unveiling of the next steps of your story!!!
Susan I am so blessed to know you. And I am so excited about your mini memoir course. I know it is going to help a lot of people find hope and healing! You go girl!!! 🙂
You’re such a major encourager, Marvia – thank you for your empowering words!! 🙂
Sue – this quote is very powerful! Keep it hidden or not hidden in a safe place. I feel the impact of the words as I read them. And I hear you saying this out loud to people. It's a key! Open, open, open!
love ya, L
You are a true friend, Linda, and someone who sees beyond the natural. I trust your advice!
Thank you, my friend 🙂
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