Your story matters - know your Christian testimony

A person's story - who they are, what they've been through and what it means to them - is very powerful. This should be evident to just about anyone. We are fascinated by story. Look at the appetite people have for the stories of celebrities. But beyond celebrity status, we can also get caught up in the power of story from little known people. This happens when their story resonates with us.

What makes one person's story matter to another has a lot to do with how you identify with that story. We like heroes and stories of triumph.  But we also identify with those who face seemingly insurmountable odds. Maybe this is why we cheer for the underdog. Most of us have never tasted fame and few would consider themselves heroes. So we root for those who, like us, are just everyday folk.

The Jesus story has been around for over two thousand years. Despite the twists and turns of Christianity, as practiced in numerous denominations, the power of the story of Jesus Christ still changes lives. And thank God for that! One of the great things about this story is the continued power it has to transform lives. God is personal to us and Jesus Christ is the God with skin that so many of us need.  We want to relate to God, but human understanding cannot fathom God. The Christian testimony is that God meets us where we are, at our level. And it seems the most powerfully transformed lives are those who personally encounter Jesus in our broken-ness. There is nothing quite like the gratitude you find in addicts, the sick, the poor, the destitute, the heartbroken and all who have faced despair until they felt the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

Do you know your personal testimony of faith? Your story matters. Naturally it matters to you. But it matters to others, too. Of course, to share your story properly you must know it. You have to recognize the true beloved son or daughter of God that you are. This takes time and some often painful inner work. Our true self is often disguised or obscured by our egos; our false self nature clamors after worldly things and misses what real life is all about. Thomas Merton said, "Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real."

You can - and should - share what your life was like and how it has been changed by accepting the forgiveness and grace of God. Your story is personal to you, but it is not meant to be kept to yourself. This doesn't mean you have to shout it from a pulpit. Maybe you are to share your personal story of the Risen One, Christ Jesus, with just one other person. This sometimes has a very great effect. Remember what Jesus said, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." - Matthew 18:20.

It's not about Bible thumping or imposing your views on another. When you honestly and humbly share your Christian testimony it will resonate with others.  This is, in my opinion, true evangelism. Not through coerced conversion, but by letting other people see Jesus in you.