You tend to hear the word 'testimony' a lot in church. I remember back in Sunday School in Ghana, we would always have 'Testimony Time'. No-one ever really wanted to get up and speak in front of the class. And when we eventually did- usually after the teacher calling us out, whether we wanted to or not- it would always be the usual statements. I would thank God for the gift of life, for my family, for my friends. Because having all these in itself was a form of testimony; showing gratitude to God for what He had blessed me with.
But back then, I always thought that those were too small to be considered testimonies. Yes, the waking up to a new day is obviously not by our own strength. But the testimonies I would hear when I went to the adults' service were always so big and extravagant. Real life stories of how God had healed someone or delivered them from a dangerous car accident. They were always so intriguing.
It actually made me wonder why nothing big like that happened to me. Can you imagine that? Instead of me to be grateful that I was healthy and safe, a part of me was hoping I would go through something drastic so that I would have a story to tell.
Thinking back, I realise just how much I misunderstood the whole point of a testimony.
And what is that point?
Well, over the years, many things did happen to me. Drastic and unbelievable things that my younger self had, deep down, been hoping for, all for the sake of having a story to tell. I could probably write a whole book on some of my testimonies and experiences. But as I grew up, I realised something about having these testimonies. They weren't just so that I could tick off the box about having something extraordinary/unbelievable happen to me.
My experiences became my testimonies. My testimonies became my reference points. And these reference points were to serve as hope for others.
These testimonies came from trying times and struggles. After all, you can't have a testimony without a test. And even though those tests were far from smooth sailing, they taught me many lessons. Lessons that I can now share with others and refer back to when I go through new struggles. Not with the mindset that God will deliver me in exactly the same way- as I've learnt that God is a creative being; He doesn't do things the same way. But rather with the mindset that if He did it before, He can do it again. And even if I don't see it, I can trust that all things are working together for my good, according to His Will and Purpose for my life.
By Ben White - Unsplash
In serving as hope for others, I'll add something my Pastor preached about yesterday. Paraphrasing here, he said that our testimonies serve as doors to other people's breakthroughs. When we share our stories about what God did for us in a certain situation, we help stir up the faith of people who are going through a similar thing and have maybe even lost faith in their situation getting any better.
One thing I've learnt is that, you NEVER know who needs to hear your testimony. The truth is, we're all struggling with challenges, addictions, secret sins and problems. And many of us tend to keep them to ourselves, thinking we can overcome it on our own. But as the Scripture I initially put up says, we can only truly overcome by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB (Jesus) and the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY. Which means that by declaring our testimony before we even see physical results, we act in faith, which is essentially the currency for miracles and breakthroughs.
So your testimony can be said after or before you see your physical breakthrough.
I don't know what you're going through right now, or what you've been through. But one thing I'd love to encourage you to do today is to share your testimony with someone. And remember, NOTHING is too small to be considered a testimony. Unlike my younger self, I've realised that even the things I considered random and not worth mentioning because they weren't what I then considered 'testimony status', are actually just as important as the 'big events'. NOTHING is below being considered a testimony, even if it's something like the Holy Spirit guiding you to pick the right website to find the right dress for a special occasion.
And write your testimonies down, to serve as a reference point for your future challenges.
Let's all make it a point to be testifiers of the Lord's goodness!
I hope you enjoyed today's read. Do you have any testimonies you'd want to share? Feel free to do so in the comments or email/send me a message on social media (Instagram). I'd love to hear them and I'm sure many people(including myself) would benefit greatly from them. And remember, no testimony is too small. Or too big. I'd also be happy to share them for you in case you want to keep it anonymous. As always, join the EuniqueBlogs fam if you haven't already, as well as our mailing list, by subscribing to the blog to stay up to date with the latest releases.
Have a beautiful week lovelies.
Stay blessed and stay a blessing.
