Resetting Your Story — Discussion Guide

Icebreaker questions

1. If you could completely reset one chapter of your life — not erase it, but rewrite how it shaped you — what would you want to change?
2. Can you think of a moment when an unexpected experience or person changed the direction of your story in a meaningful way?

Bible passages

Luke 19:1-10

1 [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Psalm 66:16

Come and hear, all you who fear God, / and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

1 Peter 2:9-10

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Discussion questions

1. What labels or experiences tend to define people today, and how hard is it to move beyond those labels?
2. When did your life take a meaningful new direction? What triggered that change?
3. How has Jesus reset your story? What changed afterward?
4. Why do you think people sometimes feel uncomfortable when someone’s life changes in a spiritual or moral way?
5. Have you ever experienced misunderstanding, skepticism, or even resistance from others because of a personal change you made? How did that affect you?
6. What makes sharing personal spiritual experiences difficult or intimidating?
7. Jesus told the healed man simply to tell others what God had done for him. Why might personal stories be more powerful than arguments or explanations when talking about faith or life change?

Application/reflection questions

1. If someone in your life were to see your story unfolding right now, what evidence of growth, change, or hope would they notice?
2. What part of your life or personal story might need a “reset” right now—an attitude, habit, relationship, or direction you sense needs change?
3. Is there someone you could encourage by sharing a piece of your own story?
4. How can you become more open to noticing where growth, healing, or transformation is already happening in your life or in the lives of people around you?