Writing your testimony in three sentences: every testimony God has given you
When people talk about a "testimony," many think of the story of their conversion. It is precious, but it is not the only one. Every time God has acted in your life (a forgiveness, a healing, a regained peace, an answered prayer, a direction given), you have a testimony. This quest invites you to write them down, each in three sentences.
What it looks like in your day
A short testimony follows a very simple thread:
- Before. What was my situation? What weighed on me, what was I missing, what worried me?
- The encounter. What did God do? How did I experience it? What specifically happened?
- After. What changed? What am I living today?
Here is an example, for a conversion: "I felt like I was succeeding in life, but I felt empty. At twenty-seven, a colleague invited me to a group, and there I sensed for the first time that someone was waiting for me. Today, I know a peace that I couldn't find anywhere."
And for another testimony: "When my father died, I was angry with God. One evening I finally told him all my anger, and it was the first time I cried. I am no longer angry, and I know I was not alone."
Do this work with all your testimonies: the conversion, but also every moment when God met you. Make a list of five or six, then write three sentences for each. Depending on the person in front of you, you will choose the one that speaks most: a grieving colleague may be more touched by the second than by the first.
If you are in a hurry, start with just one. If you are shy, this work is private: it prepares you without exposing you. If you are a new believer, your testimony is recent but very real.
What the Bible says
The Bible invites us several times to tell what God has done:
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”
"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so": a testimony is a word of gratitude, turned toward others. After his encounter with Jesus, Paul receives this mission:
“For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.”
He is a witness of what he has seen and heard, not of what he has guessed. A testimony is an experience, not a theory. And in the book of Psalms, the author affirms: "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works" (Psalms 71:17): you can have several testimonies, at several ages of life.
Pitfalls to avoid
Keeping only the conversion. That is the most common temptation. But God has acted many other times in your life. Widening your list enriches your words and makes them more relevant.
Embellishing or dramatizing. Keep the truth of what you lived, with its nuances. An honest testimony touches people more than a story that is too perfect.
Feeling guilty if your story is "ordinary." You don't need a spectacular path. A regained peace, a forgiveness, a felt presence are testimonies.
Speaking in religious jargon. Tell it in everyday words. "The Lord touched me" is less clear than "I felt that someone was with me."
Forgetting to be in the present. A testimony doesn't stop at the past: say also what it changes today.
Today, write three sentences for one testimony. This week, try again with a second one.