Testifying in one sentence: what your faith changes
We often think a testimony takes time. Sometimes a single sentence is enough: it says what your faith changes, concretely, and leaves the other person free to pick it up. This quest invites you to find one and to say it when the opportunity arises.
What it looks like in your day
A good testimony sentence is true, concrete, short, and free of jargon. Here is how to look for it.
Start from a real effect. What does your faith truly change? In your stress, your relationships, your way of working, your view of death, your relationship with money, your way of forgiving?
Say it in simple words. A few examples:
- “Praying in the morning keeps me from running off into the day.”
- “Since I believed, I find it easier to forgive.”
- “When I lost my father, my faith kept me standing.”
- “I'm less anxious about the future, because I know I'm not alone.”
Choose the moment. A sentence can answer a “How do you manage to stay calm?”, a “Did you have a good weekend?”, or a confidence.
Say nothing more. The sentence stays open. If the other person asks, you elaborate. Otherwise, you leave it.
If you are short on time, find one sentence and keep it in mind. If you are shy, it will be your safety net. If your faith feels dry at the moment, look for a past effect: a time when it really held you.
What the Bible says
Peter invites a simple availability:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”
“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”: you don't speak at all costs, but when you are asked. And your hope, what your faith gives you, is precisely what people look at. Paul quotes a saying of Scripture that inspires this simplicity:
“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;”
“I believed, and therefore have I spoken”: speech is born of faith, without artifice. The psalmist also invites people to come and hear what God has done for his soul (Psalms 66:16): telling is a simple, ancient and joyful gesture, which requires no talent as an orator, only a little sincerity.
Pitfalls to avoid
The sentence made for effect. A formula that is too polished sounds like a slogan. Say what is true for you.
Jargon. “The Lord delivered me” speaks little to someone who doesn't know the vocabulary. Prefer: “I was freed from a heavy anxiety.”
Saying everything at once. A sentence is a door left ajar. Don't turn it into a speech.
Imposing it. If the person doesn't feel like talking about faith, don't force it. A sentence said lightly is enough.
Judging yourself if you said nothing. Opportunities are not lacking. You will seize one tomorrow.
Today, find your sentence. Write it, reread it, and say it when the opportunity comes.