BROADCASTS.com

b'

Most of us like a good story. I have found that the best stories are those that draw us in with emotion. They\\u2019re usually about relationships and often contain a story within a story. I\\u2019ve got one of those for you today that I\\u2019m pretty sure you\\u2019re going to like.

\\xa0Welcome to You Were Made for This

If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you\\u2019ve come to the right place. Here you\\u2019ll discover practical principles you can use to experience the life-giving relationships you were made for.

I\\u2019m your host, John Certalic, award-winning author and relationship coach, here to help you find more joy in the relationships God designed for you.

To access all past and future episodes, go to the bottom of this page to the yellow "Subscribe" button, then enter your name and email address in the fields above it. The episodes are organized chronologically and are also searchable by topics, categories, and keywords.

Today\'s relationship story

The story I want to tell you today comes from a listener response to my recent August 8th email to those on our email list. The email was about that line I love from the PBS TV show, Call the Midwife,\\xa0

\\u201cWe learn most when we listen to others\\u201d

Linda Crouch, a retired missionary now living in North Carolina, wrote to tell me how she\\u2019s come to appreciate the great value of people listening to one another. I was so fascinated by what she had to say and the story she told that illustrated the value of listening, that I thought it would make a great podcast episode if I interviewed her.

Linda graciously agreed to the interview that you\\u2019ll hear in just a minute. As you listen, I\\u2019d like you to see if you can identify the predominant emotion in the story. The relationships you\\u2019ll hear about are pretty obvious. But see if you can pick up on the emotion that makes hers a great story.

And then also, what do you hear as the story within her story? See if you can pick that out. So let\\u2019s get into it right now.

[I know some of you prefer to read rather than listen to what comes next, but I\\u2019m sorry there is no transcript of this best stories episode.]

Why today\'s story is one of the best stories I\\u2019ve heard in a while

I don\\u2019t know about you, but what Linda just shared is one of the best stories I\\u2019ve heard in a while.\\xa0 What an amazing thing she did in organizing a trip for her children and grandchildren to go back to a place where she and her\\xa0husband spent almost 4 decades of their lives. It\\u2019s where her kids grew up and where it formed such an important piece of her identity, and there\\u2019s as well.\\xa0

She could have gone by herself, but she wanted her children to go back with her to experience the joy she experienced. I\\u2019m not going to do this, but it would be oh-so interesting to interview 1 or 2 of her adult children, and the same with a couple of the grandkids. To hear how this trip impacted them.

Another thing that made this one of the best stories I\\u2019ve heard this year is listening to Linda describe the joy she felt in returning to Nigeria with her family. This is the predominant emotion I heard. Joy. I also love how she talked about \\u201cthe joy of resilience.\\u201d\\xa0 What a breath of fresh air to hear this perspective.

And then there was her motive in going back, to say \\u201cthank you\\u201d to the people she worked with in Nigeria whom she and her husband Jim worked with and ministered to. I love that.\\xa0 Just recently we hosted a missionary couple who retired this year after 50 some years working in a camping ministry who have been taking a \\u201cthank you tour\\u201d across the US. They\\u2019re meeting with those who have supported them for all these years and who made possible the work they were called to. All to say \\u201cthank you\\u201d for their faithful support. What a great idea.

The story within the story

Finally, what made this one of the best stories I\\u2019ve heard this year is the story within Linda\\u2019s story. It\\u2019s the story of Meg and how she blessed Linda by being such a good listener to her sharing her story. For me, that was quite a powerful story within a story.

I loved how Linda described the way Meg entered into her story and even though she was a missionary herself, she practiced that great line that Linda quoted, \\u201cBe stingy with your own story\\u201d when listening to others. What a great line, \\u201cBe stingy with your own story.\\u201d\\xa0 May that be true of all of us when we are listening to others.

If you got distracted and missed any of this may want to replay this part of the episode.\\xa0

Because someone listened\\u2026

I\\u2019ll conclude by reminding you of that new feature we\\u2019re trying out this season,\\xa0Because Someone Listened\\u2026

Send me an email, or fill in the comment box at the bottom of the show notes, where you complete the sentence because someone listened\\u2026\\xa0 Describe a time when someone listened to you well and the impact it had on you.\\xa0

Closing

In closing, I\\u2019d love to hear any thoughts you have about today\\u2019s episode. I hope your thinking was stimulated by today\\u2019s show, to be part of someone\\u2019s best story that they experience.

For when you do, it will help you experience the joy of relationships God desires for you. Because after all, You Were Made for This.

Well, that\\u2019s it for today. If there\\u2019s someone in your life you think might like to hear what you just heard, please forward this episode to them. Scroll down to the bottom of the show notes and click on one of the options in the yellow \\u201cShare This\\u201d bar.

And don\\u2019t forget to spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for them.\\xa0 And I\\u2019ll see you again next time. Goodbye for now.

Other episodes or resources related to today\\u2019s shows

139: Why Should I Listen to This Podcast?

021: The Most Important Relationship of All

Last week\\u2019s episode

201:Three Relationship Tools to Remember in September

Our Sponsor

You Were Made for This is sponsored by Caring for Others, a missionary care ministry. The generosity of people like you supports our ministry. It enables us to continue this weekly podcast and other services we provide to missionaries around the world.