[Guest post by Stephanie Rawnsley: February is the month of Valentine’s Day, so I thought we would kick off the month with Stephanie’s great post about God’s love stories!]

Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, ours or someone else’s, we all love a good story.

Look at how many movies and books there are out there. When we go out for coffee, we exchange stories. We love hearing amazing tails of good winning over evil, of love conquering all. We love the stories that make us believe again, that make us reach for the stars and believe in the impossible. Why do you think Nicholas Sparks has been such a success?

His stories of love and overcoming the odds grips our hearts and makes us yearn for a love like that. An all consuming love that nothing and no one is ever going to destroy.

Those are the stories that stick with us, that we hold dear to our heart, that meant something. Because they were just ordinary people who found the strength to do extraordinary things and we toy with the possibility that maybe, just maybe, we could do something extraordinary too.

That’s one of the greatest things about living in New York City. You meet people of all kinds, all backgrounds, races, religion, nationalities, and each person has their own unique story to tell. They are as diverse as the city itself. Some have stories of triumph, some are down on their luck, some haven’t faced too many big trials, while others seem to never be able to get out of the fire.

But we all have one thing in common, we all have a story to tell.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20

We all have our story, our own struggles and hardships. But we also have one thing in common: we are loved by a good, holy and perfect God.

He is writing your story, one filled with many peaks and valleys, struggles and triumphs, heartbreak and joy.

It’s through the messiness in life that you see the holiness in God. It’s through the struggles that the blessings come. I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world because it is because I had been through the fire and came out the other side that I am here today.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” I believe that. I believe that our hardships, our trials, and pain change us in ways we can’t even imagine to prepare us to do things we can’t even fathom.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Your story is a testament to the greatest love story of all time.

The story of a man who loved us so much he sacrificed himself to redeem us. We are just a microcosm of the bigger picture, of what God is doing around the world today. It’s the greatest love story ever told. One of sacrifice, of unconditional love, of laying down ones life to save another, of good conquering evil. Your story is a part of that.

When you are little, you read the stories in the Bible. You learned about Abraham, Noah, Moses, Peter and Paul. You learn about Jesus and the stories he himself told. Even Jesus used stories and parables to teach, to share about himself, about love, and about life in ways we could understand.

Jesus was the ultimate story teller and we get to tell the story of him, the story of our past and his redeeming grace. What an honor!

We all have our own stories, our own hardships, our own trials. We all have something to say, war wounds that shape who we are. All that you have been through will launch you to a destiny only you can do. We all have a story to tell. Embrace it. Own it. Share it. It’s a miraculous story of love, redemption, sacrifice, and overcoming the odds.

Your story is a best seller because it was written by the greatest author of all.

So tell the story only you can tell.

Stephanie Rawnsley is an author, blogger, public speaker, and founder of Fearless in High Heels. She currently lives in Manhattan. To hear her story, just visit her website: fearlessinhighheels.com. You can also keep up with all of her blogs, videos, and appearances on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.