I like Sean Lowe. I liked him on Emily’s Bachelorette season. I liked when he was the Bachelor. I like his sister’s blog. I wanna be friends with him and Catherine.

But. That’s not why Sean’s story matters.

Yes, everyone’s story matters. But that’s not what Sean’s story matters.

And this isn’t going to be a sexual purity post. That’s a great part of Sean’s story, but it isn’t why this I Am Second video matters.

Here it is, by the way. (It’s worth a watch, I promise.)

Is he perfect? Probably not. But he’s open about his faith and his mistakes in front of the eyes of millions who are believers and non-believers and THAT’S why his story matters. Because MILLIONS of people know who he is and probably the majority of them like him and that’s why his story matters.

But it doesn’t have to be millions. It can be one. Or ten. Or three hundred. Your story matters because you get to live your life in front of people who don’t know Jesus. And they will see Him in your story.

I’m no theologian and I’m not the type of blogger that writes posts about where the church is going and all that jazz, but I will tell you this: if we want to see people saved, we have to talk to them about Jesus. And they only way they will listen IS IF THEY LIKE US.

YoungLife says it best. “Earn the right to be heard.”

Gone are the days when street preaching impacts young lives (if it ever did). Passing out tracts and tiny New Testaments may still be effective (if it ever was), but the problem is that WE as Christians don’t want to do that anymore. Do you? I don’t. It doesn’t feel authentic to me. If I want people to know Jesus, I want to tell them about Him with my life and words. Not just tracts with sentences that I explain to a stranger.

So maybe it’s my generation and younger. Maybe it’s the ones coming behind us. But I’m telling you, as sure as I’m sitting here, 20-somethings don’t want to be preached at. They want to feel like they KNOW you and THEN they will listen.

THAT IS WHY SEAN’S STORY MATTERS.

Because he has earned the right to be heard. And now? Now they are hearing.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. And talking about it a lot with people in my life, for months actually. Since Beth Moore wrote this blog post, since Pete Wilson preached this sermon. And I’m telling you it looks like God is doing something new on this planet- opening doors for Christians to get mainstream attention for HIS GLORY and for the salvation of souls.

Sean’s story matters to me because I’m seeing him do what I want to do. To be clear, I don’t want to be on the Bachelor or Bachelorette… per se. I don’t necessarily want to be famous- I’ve tasted the tiniest amounts of it, just enough to know that it isn’t glamorous and can be pretty terrible and if God doesn’t do it for you, it’s not worth the cost.

But I do want to be a Christian that non-Christians like and want to listen to. I see Sean and it reminds me of who I want to be. I want to be honest with my life, humble with my words, and I want to be as famous as I need to be in order for people to come to Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less. For His glory and the salvation of souls.

That’s why we’re here. That’s why your story matters. Because someone will see God’s glory in it, and maybe someone’s soul will be rescued.

That’s why Sean’s story matters.

That’s why my story matters.

And I pray for us, that God will make our lives flow like a stream in a wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”