When sharing my testimony, or even part of my testimony, I always want to bring it back to God, by focusing on the moments when I encountered Jesus Christ. At times it can be hard to share a five minute version of how God has touched and changed my life through the salvation of Jesus Christ because there are so many moments, if only I look for God's grace in my life.
But here's the thing about testimony, sometimes it involves a very pronounced crisis of faith, but other times it is just about growing with God day by day. And we need to hear both types of testimonies in the church. Time after time folks who didn't have a crisis of faith moment will come to me as a pastor and wonder if they truly know God because it seems like all of the stories they hear are about struggle and crisis and that isn't there story. The truth is God needs us to tell all stories, our stories, in order to proclaim God's salvation in the world.
For me, my story is about growing up in an awesome and loving congregation that took the vows they made at my baptism seriously - they showed me the love of God in countless ways and prayed for me and my family without ceasing. And while I always loved God and knew God loved me, I also had these beautiful moments where I grew closer to God. One of those moments came in high school, when a stranger who quickly became a friend, invited me to come to Bible Study at his parents house. That invitation was extended to more and more people as we grew through God's word until we outgrew that house and had to move to a traitor attached to the church. It was there that I first experienced a faith community of my peers. I continued to grow with God in college, where I struggled to find a place to be a Christian at a secular university, until I came to be involved in the church that was right across the street from my dorm. It was there I became a leader that others trusted as well as where I was mentored to grow more deeply with Jesus. Through college I continued to have experiences with God, but perhaps one of the most meaningful for me came when I was studying abroad. By this time I had declared my intention to pursue ordination, but wasn't feeling as close to God as what I had experienced in the past. But one morning, after not being able to sleep, I walked out of a tent while camping to be greeted by a sky like I had never seen before. A picture of that sky still hangs in my house, to remind me of the presence of God that we can often overlook in our lives - and it was in that moment I was reminded that God meets us in our need with the presence of love and mercy and grace in unexpected ways, if only we open up our hearts.
That's just part of my God story - my testimony. What is yours and how has it changed your life?
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