My Testimony Is Boring
“I was addicted to alcohol and pornography”, “my parents went through a brutal divorce”, “I was a devout muslim”, “my dad passed away when I was still young.” How beautiful it is when the Lord redeems the lives of those who can relate with these stories. How sad it is when we think we have to have a story like this to be a picture of the Lord’s redemption. For many people involved in Christian community and evangelism, sharing one’s testimony, or the story of how they came to know Christ, is a frequent element of conversation. Whether in leadership, on mission trips, in small bible studies, hearing how someone came to know the Lord and the work He has done in their life is a powerful way to connect with other believers, and encourage someone to pursue the Lord more.
Testimonies, unfortunately, are often falsely believed to only be important or worth sharing if they involve some form of suffering, tragedy, or turn from a life complacent in disgusting sin. Our testimony is not a measure of our sins before and after Christ, but a picture of God’s grace and kindness to us. Salvation is by grace through faith, a gift one can obtain through numerous circumstances, each one unique and equally important. If someone was blessed with people or an environment that pointed them to Christ from their earliest memories, that is a beautiful picture of God’s grace to them. If someone went to camp and heard a convicting sermon and decided to dedicate their life to Christ and become more disciplined in their faith, that is a beautiful picture of God’s grace to them.
There’s no need to exaggerate or try to make one’s story seem more drastic than it is. What is drastic is God’s love and willingness to welcome you, broken and evil sinner, into His family. Regardless of when or how this happened, each person who can experience the forgiveness and perfect nature of the Lord is blessed beyond measure and has a story worth sharing. Not only is your story worth sharing, but necessary to share. The best story is the story of God’s free gift of grace. If His Spirit is within you, let others know that they may share in this gift!
A verse that encourages me to share my story is 2 Timothy 1:7-8 which says, “For God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in His suffering for the gospel by the power of God.” This verse is written by Paul to Timothy to encourage him in his ministry. As we know, Paul went from being a persecutor of the church, to completely devoting his life to the growth of the church, enduring hatred, imprisonment, and immense persecution. Timothy, on the other hand, believed from an early age, watching his mother and grandmother set a compelling example for him. Both men devoted their lives to the growth of the Kingdom, each having significantly different testimonies. Both men set an example for us to live boldly in our faith, proclaiming what Christ has done in our lives, how He has protected and blessed us, and how He gave His life so we might be restored to the Father. So whatever your testimony is, the free gift of grace is something we should never be ashamed to share, go and tell!