Lies We’ve Believed and the Truths That Set Us Free

A few months ago I published one of my favorite posts, titled “Lies I’ve Believed.”  The post received a lot of feedback, and that gave me an idea… what if I opened up Beams’ Blog to my readers and had them provide some lies that they have struggled with along with the truths that have set them free from those lies?!  I must say that I was blown away by the  honesty of the responses, and I was left praising God for His amazing provision in our lives.

So without further ado, here are the lies we’ve believed and the truths that set us free…

“Here’s a lie I believed- ‘you’re too short, no one’s going to want you.’ Years of being made fun of as a kid for being small opened my ears to this lie from the enemy…to the point that when I was 7 years old, I wanted to take synthetic growth hormones to be taller. Thankfully my parents didn’t allow that. The truth that set me free was when The Lord introduced me to my husband, who was attracted to the fact that I am petite and didn’t want me to be tall. It wasn’t until then that I believed someone could want me, and that I was actually fearfully and wonderfully made.”

“That believing in Christ means things and life will be easy. Specifically, in regards to dealing with loss, or your own or those around you suffering….. It’s probably those times my faith is tested the most. There’s no specific answer I have except trying to find solace in scripture, prayer, or from those around me.”

“If I could add a lie to your list, it would be the belief that God withholds unfulfilled desires of my heart because he loves me second best. Comparison is the thief of joy. BUT the truth is that because God is perfect and loving, whenever He withholds something from us– He always has something better (than what we could think, ask, or imagine – Ephesians 3:20)! He is perfect in all of His ways, and His ways are higher than our ways. May we rest in His sovereignty!”

“Lie: My life isn’t going the way I planned. I must be doing something wrong and only I can fix it. Truth: ‘Trust in the LORD and do good, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will act.’ Psalm 37:3-5”

“A lie that I once believed and occasionally believe even these days: ‘you’re not skinny enough… nor pretty enough… nor smart enough.’  And the truth that sets me free is psalm 139:13-16. Another lie is “you’re on your own. You are alone.’ And the truths that have been a comfort are deuteronomy 31:6 and romans 8:31-39.’

“Here’s a lie: ‘you’re the only one going through this.’  As for truth, how about how the story of the Gospel is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”

“When I got saved I ended up being a part of a church who taught that your relationship with God was based solely on rules. If you behaved correctly then God loves you. This only reinforced the way I was raised so it made sense to me. It took about 8 years, but I finally broke away from that church when God spoke to me specifically and showed me He loved me unconditionally. He took me to the scripture in Deuteronomy 31:6 where He said I will never leave or forsake you. Through prayer and studying the Song of Solomon I learned how much God loves me regardless. I understood that through Jesus’s sacrifice and blood I was made right, and regardless how I saw myself He saw me as pure and right in His eyes. I felt like I finally met the real Jesus and learned how to live accepted and loved versus struggling to prove I was worthy of Gods love.”

“As I was thinking about lies I’ve believed, I’ve noticed how they have really been intertwined with each other and thus have affected several parts of my life. For example, ‘God blesses me when I’m faithful, so the opposite must be true, that He punishes me when I’m not perfect.’ I understand that there are consequences for sin, but this has been more of like an I-haven’t-been-good-enough-so-I’m-missing-out-on-God’s-blessings type of thing. This is interweaved with other lies I’ve believed, such as ‘I’ve blown it too many times in life, therefore I’m still single—it’s punishment.’ The truth is, God has actually blessed me beyond imagination. The longer I work in healthcare and EMS, the more heartache and tragedy I see, and the more thankful I am for the life He’s given me. I’m healthy, my family is awesome, I have a successful career, and I could go on and on. God’s grace covers all and I don’t have to work to stay on His good side. However I do need to stay sincere and sensitive to what He’s trying to do in my heart.”

“I used to believe that I would just be able to “tell” when I met “the one.” That, like a pair of running shoes, I would just be able to tell after a short while, if she were the right fit for me. So, I dated in a “shotgun approach.” Try lots of shoes, if it doesn’t feel quite right after a little bit, get a new pair. Sad but true. Then I found a great pair of shoes that fit really well and they ended up telling me that I really didn’t fit them…Never thought that could happen. The truth that set me free was realizing that love as a feeling is temporary. It is a set of acts, repeated over time, that must sometimes be done DESPITE my feelings. It is the willingness to love, despite how you feel that is the real indication of the right fit.”

“Sometimes I feel like He (God) doesn’t care about me because I always do promise him that I will not sin, and I do it again and regret it and I cry so bad when I pray.  But I feel like He has abandoned me because of my sins. I feel like I am punished from his mercy because of that, and I really want to change and I am working on it. But I can’t believe that I am not punished for it, because I prayed that if I do sin I wish I will be punished in this life and not on the other life. I don’t know if that can make sense to you, but this is how I think.”

“Lie: Your behavior affects how God thinks of you.  Truth: Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). God’s love for you isn’t based on what you do or don’t do, it’s based on His Son Jesus and your decision to accept Him!”

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I want to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone brave enough to share.  This powerful blog post never could have happened without your contributions.  I appreciate your willingness to be vulnerable for the sake of encouraging others and giving God glory.  You all are truly an inspiration to me!

No one is perfect.  We all struggle.  There is great freedom in confession and in being able to say “Wow, I thought I was the only one who struggled with this lie, but you too?!”  We all have our fears, scars, and struggles.  However, there is a Savior in Jesus Christ who absorbed it all on the cross and sets us free!  When we view ourselves through the lens of Christ, the lies fade away as His truths come into focus.  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!!

Beneath the Weight of Sin

A few months ago I published a post called “It’s Time to be From Pornography.”  While the post received very little public feedback, it was my second most read post… within 2 hours…  Since that time, I knew the Lord was calling me to be more open about this area of my life because people who are struggling need hope.  I’ve waited and prayed and prayed some more, and the following post is what the Lord has laid on my heart.  This post is  raw and honest.  I try not to hold any proverbial punches because I feel like my readers need to know that there is someone who can relate to the emotions they may be feeling, and more importantly- there is hope.  Wherever you find yourself in relation to the weight of sin, may you know that you are founded in Christ’s love.

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It’s a crushing place to be.  It’s exhausting.  It makes every day feel like a struggle.  It drains us of joy.  We feel disconnected and alone.  We feel helpless and often hopeless.  We feel trapped with no way out.  Freedom doesn’t even seem like a possibility.  We would give anything just to change this one area of our lives.  Is it really too much to ask…?  Most days it does feel like too much to ask.  We find ourselves falling time and time again to the same sin time and time again… and each time we become more and more numb to the thought that maybe freedom really is possible.

We’re like a little kid at the ocean who gets knocked over by a wave.  Right when he stands back up and gets his bearings *SMACK* another wave knocks him down… then *SMACK* another one… and *SMACK* another one, but this time he loses his swim trunks with the wave…  Just like the kid at the beach, sometimes our waves keep coming and won’t stop.  It’s an unrelenting onslaught.  Next, the riptide catches our feet, and soon we find ourselves drifting so far away from the safety of the shore, wondering how in the world we ended up in our current place.  Even more perplexing is the thought of how to get back to the shore.  It seems impossible… and then more hopelessness sets in… Who could possibly save us…?

This is life beneath the weight of sin.  It comes in many flavors, but they are all equally suffocating.  Perhaps you are addicted to a drug and the grip of the high won’t let you go.  Maybe you just wanted to lose a few pounds, but now you’re addicted to your image and controlling your body in an unhealthy way.  Maybe you went too far with a girlfriend or boyfriend and now the shame makes you feel like you can’t turn back.  Maybe what started as a few “quick glances” at pornography has turned into an all out addiction, and everyday feels like a struggle for your sanity.  Perhaps you’re even married yet still struggling with pornography… or perhaps your spouse may be the one struggling but you’re the one stuck bearing the brunt of the pain.  Maybe you can’t stop working because you’re addicted to chasing the next big promotion while your friends and family suffer.  Regardless of your sinful preferences, life beneath the weight of sin crushes us.

My Life Beneath the Weight of Sin

There was a time in my life where I was most definitely living beneath the weight of sin.  If I can just be honest, my life beneath the weight of sin was directly related to struggles with pornography.  Choices I made in high school years before I even knew about a relationship with Jesus Christ set me up for a long battle with this ugly sin.  Once I became a Christian, I knew I had to cut out this sin from my life.  However, the flesh rarely dies very easily.  What ensued was a huge roller coaster battle to purge this sin from my life.  Initially, there were some seasons of success, and some seasons of flat out failure where the crushing weight of sin seemed to always have the upper hand.  Being a Christian and still falling to this sin was particularly demoralizing.  I would question the genuineness of my faith.  I would try to hide my sin out of fear of being “found out.”  This only made it worse, but I was petrified of being exposed because I felt like the real me was ugly, hypocritical, and directly opposed to what I publicly stood for.  “How could I go to church then turn around and find myself back in this miry pit?” I would often ask myself in despair.  Many times I would feel the riptide of my flesh come over me, and soon I found myself drifting out to sea, hopelessly wondering how I got so far away from the shore yet again…

The One Who Was Crushed Beneath the Weight of Sin

Perhaps you just read that last paragraph and are shocked and confused.  However, my sense is that virtually everyone can relate to a similar past or present season like the one I described above, even if it was not related to lustful sin.  So what do we do when we find ourselves crushed beneath the weight of sin?  What hope do we have when we feel so utterly lost and like we’ve out-sinned any chance of redemption?  There’s only one hope I found that is powerful enough to save us even in our darkest, lowest moments… and that hope is found in Jesus Christ, the one who willingly was crushed beneath the weight of sin so we don’t have to be crushed any longer.  Jesus was beneath the weight of sin on the cross and then in the tomb.  He then pulled the ultimate reversal by crushing sin and bursting forth from the grave in a glorious resurrection (Matt 28:1-10).

When things appear hopeless, we need to remember that Jesus took our hopelessness on his shoulders in the form of the cross.  He took the weight of our sin and absorbed it all as he hung there (2Cor5:21).  He was the object of every last drop of God’s wrath towards our sin (Isa53:8).  And because of this, our debt is paid in full, and we are forgiven (Rom4:25, Gal3:13-14).  Because of this God has separated our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm103:12).  He has thrown them into a sea forgetfulness (Micah7:19).  We are forgiven, and we are saved!  Though we deserve punishment, mercy is ours instead.  Though we deserve wrath, grace is ours instead (Rom8:1).  Though we deserve hatred, love is ours instead.  Though we deserve death, life (and life more abundant and free than we could ever imagine) is ours instead (John10:10).

So when  you find yourself beneath the weight of sin, please know that you DO have hope. There is a way out.  Turn to Jesus, the man who was willingly crushed by sin for us (Gal 2:20).  He desires life for you.  He desires freedom.  When you’re being pulled out by the riptide, please know that you can be saved.  There IS a way out from beneath the weight of sin.  Jesus saved me from being crushed, and He redeemed my life.  He can save you too.  Turn and repent to God, and Jesus will rescue you and place you firmly back on the rock of his salvation on the shore.

Why I Haven’t Downloaded a Dating App (and never will)

On the surface I’d be a perfect match for a dating app (pun somewhat intended). I’m 29 and single, but I’m also an orthopaedic surgery resident.  This means that while everyone else is out mingling, I’m probably fixing your grandmother’s broken hip or your friend’s bones that got smashed in a car accident. I love my job, but it can get in the way of many normal social interactions. When I’m done working 80-100 hours a week, then I’m likely either sleeping, studying, or maybe, just maybe, trying to be social.

According to my friends, I’d be a perfect candidate for a whole slew of dating apps. “Don’t have time to meet someone? Let an app do it for you!” my friends say. It’s as easy as a few taps on a screen, or scrolling through some profile pictures, or swiping right (or is it left? I honestly don’t know because I’ve never done it).

However, I’ve personally never felt comfortable with the thought of using a dating app. I have tons of friends who use them, and I by no means want to pronounce judgment on anyone who does. I don’t know everyone’s motives for using them, and I’m not going to pretend like I can speak for everyone. However, I know my emotions. I know my motives, and I can speak for myself. So here are my personal reasons for why I choose to be in the apparent minority of single guys with a smart phone who do not use a dating app:

1) I don’t like the thought of dating being a consumer sport

The whole thought of basing your decision to date someone on a picture and maybe a few descriptive sentences just doesn’t seem right. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a guy and physical attractiveness is just as important to me as the next guy.  However, so much more creates attractiveness than the best, glammed up, maybe unrealistic picture a girl can find of herself. In my eyes attractiveness also includes personality, attitude, demeanor, and sense of humor. Basing my decision to go on a date because of a picture that may or may not be fully representative of daily appearance seems shallow to me. It also sounds like a recipe for a lot of potentially lame first dates with no chemistry. Not to mention, it just seems kind of degrading to females to put them on the judging block like that- kind of like a digital meat market. No thank you.

2) It’s impossible to know the motives of the other person on the screen. 

I’m 29. I would like to be married and have a family, and I don’t really have the time or energy for a relationship with someone who doesn’t want the same things. I don’t need a fun relationship with no goals just to help me feel better about myself. Again, no thank you.

3) Many people on dating apps are just looking for sex

Enough said. Don’t act like this is a surprise to you. Once again, No thank you. Not till I’m married.

4) I would be embarrassed to admit how I met my wife

I admit that this one is likely a function of my pride, but I would feel bashful if my testimony for how I met my wife was “we both swiped right…” (Or left- I still don’t know which one is which). This is probably my own pride, but I would feel like I was cheated in the marriage testimony department. I guess I wouldn’t feel this way after the fact, but I feel strongly enough about it before the fact to avoid such a situation.

5) I feel like a dating app would foster lust in my heart

Hundreds of girls ready to date at my fingertips? Sounds enticing, but it also sounds like a recipe for all sorts of lust, idolatry, and identity issues for my heart. Pics after pics of females would likely numb my heart to a state of lust- whether it’s lusting after their physical beauty or idolizing the thought of being in a relationship. I would seek validation in how many girls want to date me (or dismay at how many girls don’t want to date me).  This is likely my personal weakness coming through here, but I’d rather avoid the fire altogether than risk getting burned by it.

6) I think dating apps perpetuate many things that are wrong with modern dating

This reason is the biggest one for me… A girl wants a guy-no a man!- who will fight for her. She wants a man who is wholly committed to her and only her. She wants a man that will pursue her and take the immense time and effort it takes to win her heart. This is not too much to desire regardless of what our culture says. However, girls then go off to look for said guy on an app that dangles hundreds of possibilities in front of him and only requires a few taps and swipes to get a date. Meanwhile, there is the constant allure in the back of his mind that there are plenty of other options out there. Why should a guy commit when the next hot girl may be only a few swipes away?  Meanwhile a Christian guy wants a girl- no a woman!- who is waiting on him. You know- truly waiting for the Lord to bring their lives together and will be committed to him. So what does he do? He goes on an app where girls are fielding offers everyday from potential suitors. This hardly seems like the way things should be. Even more so, it hardly feels like a healthy mentality to start off a meaningful relationship. The dating culture fostered by these apps seems like the McDonald’s of the dating world- it’s fun, cheap, and easy, but do you really want to settle for McDonald’s just because it’s harder to get a reservation at the steakhouse?

Trying to Balance the Tension

I realize that my views are likely in the minority. I’m not trying to condemn dating apps or the people who use them. I’m sure some good, noble apps exist, and I’m sure people use them with a good, clear conscious.  I personally haven’t been able to bring myself to that point, so I have abstained for the reasons I’ve listed above.  Some friends have told me that I’m missing out.  Others tell me that the reason why I’m still single is because I refuse to download a dating app. My reply is that I’m still single because God has sovereignly chosen to keep me this way because He has unique plans to grow my faith during this season of singleness.

With this in mind, I don’t feel like I am missing out.  I’m actually very content with the season the Lord has brought me to, and this includes contentment with my singleness. This doesn’t mean I don’t desire to be married- far from it! It just means that the Lord has me in this season for a reason, and I’m going to embrace it to the fullest. I have faith that with every day of singleness, He is molding me into the man He wants me to become. Hopefully, Lord willing, in the process He is also molding me into the husband He wants me to become. I don’t need the thrill of attention from females on a dating app because the Lord has captivated my heart with the plans He has for me.  For now (and hopefully always), that’s enough for me.  Now that’s something I can swipe right to… or is it left…?

The Weight of Jesus’ Words on the Cross

As Holy Week draws to a close and Easter is only a sunrise away, I have found myself often contemplating the words Jesus said when he was hanging on the cross.  Easter is by far my favorite holiday, but it’s the events that lead up to Easter that make it my favorite day.  Perhaps the single greatest thing that weighs on my heart is the depth of despair Christ went through to purchase our ability to celebrate Easter.  For an absolutely amazing summary of this, I would HIGHLY recommend reading this post at desiringgod.com.  It does an amazing job of giving us a glimpse of what it was like for Jesus to fully drink God’s cup of wrath against our sin so that we don’t have to drink it ourselves.

I particularly want to focus this post on some of the words Jesus said while hanging on the cross.  Jesus was always very intentional with his words, and his final words as he was dying were certainly no exception.  After reading through the four Gospel accounts of Christ’s crucifixion, I am always left speechless by Jesus’ final words.  They assure our forgiveness.  They guarantee our salvation.  They seal our eternity with God forever.

“Forgive Them Father…”

Perhaps the single most obvious point from Jesus’ dying words is that they are saturated with forgiveness.  In fact, Jesus’ first words after being crucified were “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).  He said this after just being nailed to the cross.  He was being derided with terrible physical and verbal abuse.  He was hardly recognizable as a person because he was so disfigured by the beatings he endured.  Jesus had every right to condemn every single person present.  After all, he was the perfect Son of God.  He was the only one out of the whole bunch who did not deserve to be killed for sin because he was the only one who was sinless.  Yet, even though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped… and he humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:4-8).  Jesus didn’t just grudgingly go to the cross to get it over with so he could make God happy.  No, Jesus went to the cross out of an amazing, indescribable love for sinners like you and me.  He chose to go so that we could be forgiven.  I’m not even going to pretend like I can fully comprehend the depth of this love, but it floods me every time I think of Jesus choosing to go to the cross so that we can be forgiven.  Our forgiveness could only be accomplished by Christ being crucified.  Jesus knew this, and his response was “Father, thy will be done.” (Luke 22:42).  What amazing love…

“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

These are some of the most chilling words that Jesus yells on the cross.  For the first time in Jesus’ existence, he was separated from God’s presence.  Up until this time Jesus enjoyed perfect communion with God because he was sinless.  However, as Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross, he was completely forsaken by God as God turned His back on His Son.  This begs the question of why?  Why would God do that at such a crucial time?  The answer is the reason why Jesus’ death was effective in achieving forgiveness for our sins.  As Jesus hung on the cross, he wasn’t just dying.  At that time, every single sin of those who would be saved was placed on Jesus.  He was no longer Jesus, the perfect Son of God.  He was every single sin that we have ever committed and ever will commit: anger, pride, lust, adultery, self-righteousness, bitterness, envy, jealousy, addictions, murder, idolatry, etc.  Since Jesus was our sin at this time, the perfectly holy God could not allow Himself to be associated with sinful Jesus or else it would violate God’s holy character.  God had no other choice but to abandon His son.  As if bearing the physical torture of crucifixion wasn’t enough, Jesus bore all of God’s wrath towards our sins, and he felt the associated forsakenness as a result.  Just take a minute and let this solemn truth sink in: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)

“It is Finished!”

This was the second to last thing Jesus said on the cross before his death (John 19:30).  In actuality, Jesus only said one Greek word, which was “Tetelestai.”  Our best English translations will usually translate this single word as “it is finished,” or “paid in full.”  Both are accurate, yet neither can fully grasp the full meaning and eternal depth of this one word.  It’s interesting to note that this word had a very common use back in Jesus’ day.  When someone committed a crime and finished paying their fine or time in jail, they would receive a clay tablet with this Greek word on it.  If they were back out in public and someone tried to accuse them of being the same person who committed a crime, the ex-criminal would pull out the tablet and show them that their debt was paid in full.  They were no longer under the condemnation of their past crime.

In the same way, this single word was like Jesus’ victory cry over all of sin and death.  By fully becoming sin and by fully receiving God’s wrath on our behalf, Jesus accomplished what was necessary to achieve our forgiveness.  God’s wrath needed to be satisfied.  The wrath was meant for us, but Jesus stepped in and took the wrath for us.  He didn’t just take some of it.  He took all of it.  Every little bit.  There’s not a single drop left for you or me when we place our faith in Jesus.  It is paid in full.  It is tetelestai-ed.  Thank you, Jesus!

The Hope of Easter

The truth of these statements verify that Jesus paid the cost necessary to earn our salvation.  Because he became sin and suffered the agony of isolation from God, Jesus was able to cry, “Tetelestai!”  One couldn’t happen without the other.  Most certainly Easter could not happen without the events of Holy Week.  Tomorrow we celebrate our Savior being risen from the dead.  This is like God’s “Amen” to Jesus’ “Tetelestai.”  God recognized Jesus’ sacrifice as fully sufficient, and He raised Jesus from the dead, just like He promised to do.  The same is true for us when we place our faith in Christ.

Through the lens of Christ, Easter is one of the most joyous occasions within the Church.  Easter gives us the full assurance that there truly is “therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).  I hope you will join me this Sunday in worshipping our incredible Savior, Jesus Christ, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2).

Jesus Christ is risen, Alleluia!!!

 

Your Testimony is Glorious

For my first blog post, I figured that it would be fitting to write about the first thing that happens to us as Christians- namely, our salvation.  The Bible has a lot to say about our salvation, such as how it’s a gift from God (Eph 2:8, Rom 3:23-24), how it’s possible only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:5, John 14:6), and how it results in us being sealed by the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives (Eph 1:13).  Every Christian has a salvation story, which we often refer to as someone’s testimony.  I firmly believe that every testimony is a unique story of how God’s steadfast and unfailing love has redeemed sinners back to Him.  However, I have noticed a subtle, yet unfortunate, trend in how we promote and share testimonies within the Church.  Our natural, sinful tendencies make us focus on ourselves and not on the Lord.  How we view testimonies within the body of believers is sadly not an exception to this sin.

“GORE STORY” Testimonies

All Christians love a well shared testimony.  And rightfully so.  Few things can offer God more glory this side of Heaven than a true life story of how Jesus Christ opened someone’s eyes to the riches of His Gospel.  It seems like the more improbable the conversion story, the more we want to pump it up in our local Bible studies, church services, blogs, and books.  Think about it:  When was the last time someone at your church was asked to share his or her testimony about growing up in a Christian home and becoming a Christian at a young age?  When was a biography ever published with this as the main story line?  I personally can’t think of any time when this has been the case.

Now think of the last time you publically heard or read a testimony about someone who was indulging in all kinds of sin and reckless living, only to be suddenly and drastically converted to a life of following Christ?  I can think of a few off the top of my head.  I call this type of life story a “gore story” testimony because it captures our attention while also highlighting how amazing it is that God’s grace could reach so deeply.  In our sensationalized culture, we crave testimonies that have an inherent wow factor.  Just like a good thriller novel or action movie, Christians love a good “gore story” testimony.  They get our adrenaline pumping.  Naturally, we tend to push these people to the front of our churches and media outlets.  We publicize their stories in all sorts of ways as we put them at the forefront of our churches, conferences, and book covers.  This is most certainly a great thing to do when done in a way that gives all the credit to Christ.  However, when this isn’t the case, the results can be quite detrimental to the Church as a whole.

Marginalizing “Normal” Testimonies

One consequence of our obsession with “gore story” testimonies is that we have marginalized people with “normal” testimonies, i.e. people who live a mostly straight-laced life and accept Christ without going through a period of reckless living.  At best, we have implicitly given the message that unless you were a prodigal son, your testimony isn’t as interesting as it could be.  At worst, we have directly given the message that a “normal” testimony can’t be used effectively in the Kingdom of God.  It’s like we have placed a sign at the church door that says “Your testimony must be at least this cool to be meaningful.”  Naturally, this can make many Christians feel like their testimony is second-rate.  Feeling like you can’t measure up is a terrible feeling.  I know this isn’t the goal of any church, but I can’t help but wonder if we have allowed satan this foothold by the way we stratify testimonies.

I have seen the effects of this subliminal message quite frequently.  Whenever I meet with a new friend from church, we will naturally share our testimonies at some point in the conversation.  If he has a “normal” testimony, he will often sheepishly look to the ground, maybe shrug his shoulders, and stumble through something to the extent of “Well, I grew up in a Christian home and heard the Gospel often, and when I was in third grade it all of a sudden clicked and I’ve been walking with the Lord ever since.”  I even remember a time when one guy made up a “gore story” testimony so he could enjoy the wow factor from me and the other guys before he confessed that his testimony was “only” that He knew Christ from a young age and has been walking the narrow path ever since.  In each scenario, the tone of my friend’s voice almost sounded like he was making an apology for not having a “better” testimony.  It’s the same kind of tone I would use with my mom when she would ask me why I didn’t do my chores very well before going out with my friends.  It makes me disappointed that we have made many Christians feel like their testimonies don’t measure up.

The End of “Normal” Testimonies

When we view testimonies through the lens of Christ, we see that there is no such thing as a “normal” testimony because EVERY testimony is equally glorifying to God.  At the end of the day, every testimony essentially has the same basic plot:  “I was lost in my sin.  I had no hope.  I was living for myself.  God in His great love for me had mercy on me and opened my eyes to the truths of Jesus Christ.  He loved me when I was unlovable.  I didn’t earn it.  He gave it to me as a gift.  What amazing grace! Praise God!!”  Now, obviously the details are different for every testimony.  Different people were lost in different sins.  However, at the end of the day, we were all 100% dead in our sins before Christ saved us.  Whether our sin was something obviously bad (drugs, lust, violence, etc) or something less obviously bad (self-righteousness, love of money, idolatry of work, etc), it doesn’t matter.  We were no more lost whether we were a prodigal son or whether we were the older son who stayed by his father (Luke 15:11-32).  Either way, we were all dead (Rom 3:23, Col 2:13-15), and last time I checked, a dead man couldn’t do a single thing on his own regardless of what made him dead.  We were (and still are) in desperate need of God’s grace, and it is an absolute miracle that God would save any sinner and choose to grant us eternal life with Him.  Because every testimony is a testimony of God’s incredible love, grace, and sacrifice towards us, I believe that there is no such thing as a normal, boring testimony.

Therefore, I want to encourage everyone to be very careful about how we share and receive testimonies from other believers.  We need to ask ourselves where are we putting the focus when we share and listen to a testimony?  The language we use is critical.  We should choose to spend more time talking about our incredible Savior and less time magnifying our sin that required us to need saving.  If you have a “gore story” testimony, then praise God!  He wants to use your testimony to glorify Him.  If you don’t have a “gore story” testimony, then praise God!  He also wants to equally use your testimony to glorify Him.

In light of God’s great grace to us, let us all be resolute to use our testimones as a chance to praise the God who “shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8).