Testimonies?

Growing up in a Christian home and in a Christian school and going to Christian camps I, like many others, was asked through out my life to share my testimony. 

Testimony::

 Law . the statement or declaration of a witness under oathor affirmation, usually in court.

evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.

open declaration or profession, as of faith.

Usually, testimonies. the precepts of God.the Decalogue as inscribed on the two tables of the law, orthe ark in which the tables were kept. Ex. 16:34; 25:16.

Sound so intimidating, right? Well, most of the time and in my experience it is. I mean its my life and me and God are the only ones who know it on such an intimate level, so why should others know too. They don't need to know all that business!


I've been thinking about my testimony, rather my story. I sat on my bed and said to my friends, "BUT I DON'T HAVE ONE!" Of course, my dramatic self was just being dumb. But, do i? These thoughts went through my head. I have no huge story, nothing huge that has happened in my life that would bring people on my level and understand deeply why I personally needed Jesus. I grew up a youth pastors daughter/ missionary kid/ professor at MBI's kid. Grew up in the church and going to sunday school and ya know, the normal Christian kid thing. I didn't have a big conversion at the age of 9. I just had BAD night terrors and my parents told me that Jesus would protect me from those. Did i fully understand what the Jesus Christ had done for me? Of course not. But i did love Jesus and i knew HE loved me too. The basics. 


As i think about my testimony, i cannot pin point one main thing. In high school i was not SO on fire of the Lord, i spoke to him semi-regularly, and i knew i wanted to go to Moody by my senior year. But before that, i didn't even have a slight thought of going into ministry. Until, i met the youth in Eastern Europe, specifically in Czech Republic...

They captured my heart as i saw their want to know more about the Bible about God about spiritual things in general. They were and are interested! Their stories are what drive me, the thing that pushes me to do good in school, to learn and to understand, so that someday i can walk through life with students just like them and merely, live life and help with the knowledge i have. A good majority of students that are Christians, are the ONLY one in their school, or even in their city. God has given me the passion to go and live life with international students and disciple! Each one of these faces, drives me!--Testimony--

For now, i just get to be at school and learn more about HIM, grow in HIM more, and just learn about my passion. I have been blessed to be at Moody, to get into Moody. It is such and ideal place to study. Sure, people complain and there is things that people don't like, but i honestly can say i truly don't think it can get much better than waking up each day to go to classes solely based on God, HIS word, and then to have three days in chapel of praising HIM with 1,300 other students who love God and want to serve  HIM along side of you. It is truly surreal. My life has been transformed and changed in only a few months. I have grown in my faith in so many ways that i can barely describe, i have learned more about who God has called me to be and who i am. I know that i have so much farther to go in my walk with my BEHOLDER but, i also know that i am one step closer to becoming holy. --Testimony--

Through my life, i have seemed to just struggle with heath and with my body. It just seems to fall apart all at once and all over the place. My body struggles. Yet, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that is all that matters. Though my body seems to be deteriorating and i seem to wake up each morning and be more like an old lady than the day before, it is HIS temple and i have to take care of it in all the ways i can. This year has been a struggle since November for my body, so its been hard but guess what my body is...a reliable source of God's faithfulness and healing.

--Testimony--

Everybody knows, i have tattoos. I have three to be exact. I got my first tattoo when i was 16 with my mom and my sisters. It says "disciple" that is the one thing i constantly hear call me, HIS disciple. I want to be held to that high standard, i am honored to be held to that standard and i will uphold it. This tattoo is a daily reminder of that. 

--Testimony--

My second tattoo i got was when i was 18, i got it right before graduation in May of 2011. It says "pray". I get so much flack about this one. People always say, "oh you don't remember to pray without it?" and things of that nature. Well, no, i do remember to pray. But i do believe that it is almost never our first reaction. Most of the time our first reaction is to go talk to someone, our roommate, friend, mom, dad and so on. This tattoo may seem silly to others, but to me, it is a constant reminder to make God my number one, to make conversation with HIM a priority not a last resort. --Testimony--

My third tattoo, i got in March of 2012. It says "It is finished" in aramaic, which is the language, Jesus would have shouted on the cross. Through my devotions and reading and church services, God really placed these words in my life. They are very significant words to me and should be for everyone. They state that we no longer live in bondage to sin, we are free, we no longer have to sacrifice animals and follow rituals, as a Gentile i am no longer on the outs, i have been brought in my the blood of my Savior. These words bring renewing and healing to my life and they are something i never want to forget. My freedom had a cost, the death of God in the flesh. I have been given the greatest gift to man-kind and it is not something to take lightly.--Testimony--

Honestly, this post was mostly to help me process my own life and my own thoughts. But, i have come to the realization that a testimony is not something to freak out about, it is simply the ways you have been impacted and the ways that are obvious most of the time! it is not some huge scary thing. As Christians, we are to live in community and live life together, to share together. How can we even begin if we have no idea how we truly have been affected by the Creator of the world. HE is our common denominator, i believe that after a certain amount of time together, we should tell each other out life stories now that we are HIS and HE is ours. It does not have to be a formal thing where we sit in a dark room and stare at each other, it can simply be the overflow of a grateful heart. I can say with all my heart, all i know is that i want to follow in the tracks behind my Savior's way's and path's as they lead me into holiness.

What's Yours?