As I finished listened to the speaker at this weekend’s ladies retreat give her testimony I began to think ‘what is a testimony?’, ‘why are people uncomfortable sharing their testimony?'
I’ve been in church since I was in middle school and I always thought that a testimony is only the story about how our life led us to the point of asking God to come into our heart and save us from our sins. But, is that my only testimony? What about all the times God has continued to forgive me, show me mercy, grace, take me through life’s journey – the ups and the downs? All of those times after being saved are part of my testimony too.
Many Christians, whether they were saved 50 years ago or 5 years ago get nervous at the thought of sharing their testimony. I can remember times early on that I actually was afraid of sharing my testimony. Maybe it’s worry that I will forget an important part or fear that my story is not as spiritual as someone else’s. For some, it’s simply the fear of speaking. I want to change the way I view what a testimony is. I want to take the fear out of it for those that may feel like I did.
It’s not about the beginning or the middle of the story. It’s about what God’s done in your life; How He shows His abundant love and grace. My life is SO different from what it was when I was saved – I was a kid with kid problems but that testimony doesn’t relate to someone that is struggling with their kids, their relationship, their work/life balance, their finances. I didn’t have any of those problems before/when I was saved. But I’ve certainly been through them as I’ve gotten older.
A testimony is a living, breathing thing. If you are living a life with Christ then you don’t have just one story – God has blessed you with many stories so that you can help others that may be going through similar things. The testimony is how God came into your heart, set you free from your sins, and continues to show you love, grace, mercy, and patience. Be open and willing to share what God has done in your life with those that He puts in your path so that you might be able to help someone….All for His glory!