When You and Your Testimony Are Just Too Regular
If you feel like you don’t really have a testimony worth sharing because your story isn’t “gritty” or “raw” enough, you’re not alone. There are more than just a few Christians who have come to believe they have very little to no testimony worth sharing at all.
Because they’re regular.
With regular experiences. Regular church attendance. Regular families.
Several years ago, my family and I were heavily involved in a particular ministry when I was asked to teach a new women’s class. I showed up for my appointment with the pastor’s wife excited to discuss the plans and particulars for the summer long course which was going to focus on ministry in the home. I was ecstatic, ready to dive into what I thought would be an awesome opportunity with a topic that was near and dear to my heart.
During our meeting about the class, she prodded, “Stacey, you are a very sweet person, but I need to know that you have experienced some things, you know, been through some significant struggles in life… to make sure you are ready… that you’re qualified for this task.”
We regarded each other quietly, and I weighed my answer. I knew what she was getting at- what would a run of the mill, middle class girl who was saved at 6 have to offer? Some of our class-goers had suffered abuse, rejection, and addiction to name a few. Just what had I struggled with? What had I been saved out of? What could I offer? How could I relate? She wanted to know where my credibility would come from.
In a culture that enjoys the dramatic conversion story, without the story of a dark or reckless past, it can be hard to know how you fit into God’s plan, how you can be used. It can even be hard for others to see what role you will play. We even have memes about it.
Sometimes, when we view ourselves as just “regular,” we get duped (and so do others) into thinking that God doesn’t want or need us to share the message of Christ. We might even start to think that He can’t use us.
So while we may yearn to do otherwise, we close those doors on having anything of significance to contribute and move on. After all, what would we have to say even if given the chance?
The truth is… quite a lot.
What Should Know About Your Regular Testimony & Whether or Not God Can Use You
1) Your Testimony Is Not Really About You.
Yep. That’s right. The power of your testimony is not in what YOU did, it’s in what JESUS did. And that’s the same for everybody.
Here’s the skinny: It took the WHOLE work of Christ to save each one of us. Each of us required His WHOLE sacrifice. There is not one of us who got less of Jesus or needed less and some who got more. Even in our “regularness,” we were just as separated from God as anyone else. So the story of us coming back to Him is just as miraculous!
So the long and the short of it is it’s not really our story that makes the difference, but the sharing of HIS does. And when we are focused on telling HIS story instead of our own, the message is quite powerful!
2) Just as our pasts don’t disqualify us, they don’t qualify us either. The idea that struggles or hardships are what make a testimony “good” or make a person uniquely qualified for ministry or even where we grow and learn is a step in the wrong direction.
We are only truly equipped, pruned and refined through the Word of God and a close relationship with Him, not our circumstances. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
No matter if it’s sharing the Good News with a stranger or teaching a class or Bible study. It’s not what we’ve gone through that’s worth talking about; it’s His sacrifice, His Word, His love. And we all equally need that.
Every Christian has a different story, but the very best part of all our stories is always the same— through Christ we are no longer separated from God for eternity. Through Christ we live again! He is faithful every day to love, guide, and protect us! Those are the facts that make a true difference!
Because of Christ, it is impossible for such things as an “uninspiring” salvation or an “ordinary” Christian to even exist. When you really consider the complete work of Christ, there can be no unremarkable stories. And what God wants to do through you really is just what someone else out there needs and is waiting for!
Further reading:
- Isaiah 64:16
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
- Romans 3:22-23
- James 1:5
- John 10:10
- 2 Chronicles 16:9
- Galatians 3:28
- Proverbs 3:5
Amen!
Awesome article….really enjoyed it, plus you are spot on.
❤️ This!
Truly inspired.
You’re right Stacey. Good word
Interesting! I’ve been guilty of this. Much needed! Thank you!
My husband and I have this conversation every so often…your points are so right – it’s not about us. Well said! But also, just because we might battle more “acceptable” sins (pride, selfishness, etc) than other people, they are all the same in God’s eyes. We are all being rescued from what we truly deserve!
Absolutely! It took the whole work for each of us!
Guilty of this incorrect thinking. Thanks for the word, Stacey.