Personal experience

God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Luke 18:13).

Whether you’re writing a book, a magazine article, or a speech, one basic rule is this: write what you know. You can do extensive research, but nothing takes the place of personal experience. If you want to really communicate with others, share with them something from your life—tell them what you know.

What do I know about from personal experience? I know about sin. Sin has been part of my life from as far back as I can remember. I remember being in the store, begging Mom to buy me something I didn’t really need, not when money was so tight. I remember doing things Mom said not to do, making her so mad that she lost her temper; at those times, my sin made her a sinner as well.

I’ve been a sinner all my life. Once when I was in high school, I remember Grandma coming to stay for a week while Mom and Dad went on vacation together; when my little sister drove Grandma nuts with her antics, I took sinful pleasure in being Grandma’s favorite grandchild. When some bullies at school wanted to beat me up because I was the new kid, I outsmarted them—but then I sinned by thinking to myself how much smarter I was than them.

I’ve been a sinner all my life, and so have you. I have met lots of people throughout my life, and none of them were even remotely close to being perfect. I’ve met people who treated sex like it was just a part of dating. I’ve met people who were prejudiced against blacks. I’ve known people who did the least amount of work that they could get away with and still receive a paycheck. I’ve known people who could not be trusted to keep a promise and told lies to cover up their mistakes. Everyone is a sinner, including you.

But there’s another thing that I know as well. I know that Jesus is real. I know that the Son of God loves me and died to forgive my sins. I know that Christ rose from the dead, assuring me of everlasting life in paradise. How do I know these things? By faith—the Spirit of God has made me as sure of my salvation as I am sure that I’m a sinner. Faith gives me peace when my heart is troubled over all the ways that I’ve messed up. Faith lets me look back over my life and see how God pulled my bacon out of the fire over and over again. I know that Jesus is my Savior and my Friend. And, I know that He wants to be yours as well.