Testimony can be kind of an intimidating word. An intimidating topic. When I hear the word “testimony”, I think of this big magical epiphany kind of moment. A massive turning point. Maybe that’s what you think of too. So let’s break it down.
In reality, a testimony is really just a personal life story. Often times as Christ followers we feel a lot of pressure to be perfect. I’ll never forget, years ago, my uncle who is a pastor in Michigan said, “its about progress, not perfection.” And to be honest with you, I can’t think of a better phrase to sum up my walk as a Christ follower. In a world where everything else seems crazy and wild, I feel the need to be the perfect Christian and the perfect example of Christ. But I know in my heart that doesn’t exist. I am always learning and growing. Perfection is impossible, but progression? That is an easily achievable goal. The amazing thing about testimonies is that everybody has one. You might not feel like it. You might not feel like yours is impactful or meaningful. But to someone, somewhere, your story is exactly what they need to hear in order to take the next step toward living for Christ.
Often times, we give ourselves too much credit and give God too little credit. We think we really have all this power and in reality, it’s God who’s got the power. He just uses us to glorify him. We are living vessels. Another common misconception with testimonies is that you have to stray from God, maybe do some drugs, get into dark magic and demons, become an alcoholic or have a lot of sex to make your testimony one worth listening and relating to. But that is simply not true. Like I said, God uses us to glorify Him. In turn, he will use our testimonies to speak to someone who needs to hear exactly what it is we went through to know of the power of God’s redeeming love.
I’ve been here before too. I grew up in an “American Dream” type of home. The good Christian family who went to church every Sunday, hosted youth groups in our home, and attended a private Christian academy for school. I felt like I didn’t have much of a testimony. Much of a personal story that others would resonate with. However, as I’ve grown and made mistakes, I’ve learned that more people resonate with my testimony than I ever realized. Friends who grew up the same, but never felt they had the personal decision to make for themselves. Coworkers who have heard of Jesus but don’t know what a relationship with God feels or looks like.
The way we live and represent ourselves is very important. Especially because we are representatives of Christ. However, it sometimes more important to make sure we let people see our flaws. One of the top reasons people reject God is because they feel judged by the people who represent Him. Intentional or not, we need to be intentional with how we act. Should we partake in sin? No. But we should be loving and welcoming, and most importantly honest about our story and where we’ve been. Our struggles are a huge part of the connection we make with other people when creating relationships.
In the end the most important thing to remember is that our story is not about us. It’s about Christ. So as you go on through your week, I’d like to challenge you to have conversations with people, get to know them, share your story, and be so honest in your approach.
The Grace-filled Home 