Think about the life of a book. It starts with an author putting their pen to paper with an idea. And then they slave over the details, pouring their hearts into the pages, crafting each character and event with delicate care. Then, the editors and publishers refine the tale, marking out errors and anything deemed unnecessary. And then it’s bound and placed in a library with attentiveness and purpose.

And then, it becomes someone’s favorite story to read.

Such precision is put into each and every book. Such love and such care. And our own personal stories are no exception. Our stories, crafted and refined by the King himself, have all been touched in a beautifully unique way. Your story has been carefully thought out, written, and edited. Every detail and moment in your own story have been scripted and written by the perfect author. Not a single detail in your book exists without purpose. Not a chapter goes untouched or unread. Once it has been perfected for His will, it is bound, and placed in the Lord’s library.

And let me assure you, your story is His favorite story to read.

Before you ever came to be, your story was known, and trust me, it was loved. Psalm 139:16 says “all of the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them ever came to be.” In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord promises “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Before we even stepped foot into this world, every chapter of our story was touched by Him.

And what a beautiful thought that not a single, solitary story has ever been touched or picked up in the same way as the one beside it. Each book in His library has his fingerprints all over it, from being read and re-read a hundred times, but no experience was the same as the one before it. Your story has the Lord’s fingerprints traced all over the pages, but in an entirely different way than mine. Your testimony has been hand crafted and there will never be another exactly like it.

So how could we possibly question if our story is good enough, powerful enough, or eloquent enough? To question our stories is to question His work. Psalm 18:30 says “As for God, his way is perfect.”

And who are we to question His perfect works? Your story was hand-picked just for you. That truth should be a source of such immense confidence and peace. God’s fingers wrote out each and every word, on every page, in every chapter of your story. It is yours, and yours alone. It is known, and it is loved. If you’re ever unsure of the Lord’s presence in your life, try re-reading your story, and I’m more than willing to bet that you’ll find traces of Him there.