Why Your [Boring] Testimony Is Actually Beautiful

We fidgeted uncomfortably as the Bible study group leader called our names, one after another. She asked us to share our testimonies, the stories of how God came into and worked in our lives.  Most of the women gave short answers about growing up in the church or not having anything exciting to say. I gave my own version of that same answer, downplaying my testimony and not sharing details. Inside I was cringing.

Too often we mentally label our testimonies as boring because we were raised in the church or don’t have a dramatic conversion story. We don’t want to share the details because we think our stories aren’t worth telling.

When we discount our testimonies, we dismiss God’s redeeming work in us.

The Bible shares the importance of both climactic and commonplace testimonies. Saul of Tarsus was personally responsible for persecuting and torturing Christians until God blinded him on the road to Damascus (Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-21 ESV). He made a radical conversion, and we now know him as Paul, author of several New Testament letters and unparalleled witness for Christ.

Few of us have a Saul-to-Paul story. Our stories more likely resemble Ruth’s. Ruth lost a husband, chose to care for her widowed mother-in-law, and worked daily in the fields gleaning wheat (Ruth 1:1-2:3 ESV). Her story feels familiar, filled with common hardships and daily struggles.

Ruth’s story highlights her faith in the midst of ordinary circumstances and how God worked through them to redeem her family story. Her simple testimony of obedience and love is so important that she is listed as an earthly ancestor of Christ (Matt. 1:5 ESV).

We bring God glory when we share about his provision and unwavering love in both the magnificent and mundane moments of our lives. The simple testimony of my grandmother, Josephine, shaped my idea of faith. Grandma Josie lived in a small rural town, was a wife and mother to six children. She spent most of her days cooking, cleaning, gardening, and caring for loved ones. Her life was quiet and so was her faith.

I don’t remember having many deep conversations about faith with Grandma Josie, but I do remember hearing her singing hymns. I remember her soft,  hands moving over oval beads as she prayed the rosary. I remember her infectious laugh. I remember meals made with love and time she spent with me.

It was Grandma Josie’s faithful service to my grandfather as he battled Alzheimer’s disease that showed me what it looked like to walk through life with Christ.  Her quiet faith gave her the strength and endurance to provide daily care for Grandpa as his health and mental abilities deteriorated.  God’s presence in her life brought peace and patience as my grandfather slowly lost memories of his life, his family, and eventually even memories of my grandmother herself.  Her sacrificial love gave me an earthly picture of Christ’s love for the church.

When you look at Grandma Josie’s story, you might easily see a very ordinary woman who lived an ordinary life—or, you could choose to see a strong woman of faith who clung to Jesus in the beautiful and hard places, and whose witness for Christ lives on in the memories of those who knew her.  It’s the same story, but the perspective changes everything.

We need a fresh perspective about our testimonies. Instead of discounting growing up in the church, we should marvel at the generations of faithful believers who chose God and passed down a legacy. If we find Jesus at a young age, we ought to share the number of days God has walked with us as we wrestled life’s doubts and disappointments and celebrated it’s victories. Our journey with Christ may inspire others more than we know.

The next time someone asks you to share your testimony, fight the urge to think of it as boring. Share it boldly. God is weaving a tapestry, and your story is a thread.  Some threads are flashy crimson, others subtle cream. Without each specific thread, the picture would be incomplete. Together, our testimonies form a beautiful image of God’s redemptive work in the world, and this picture draws others to him. Your testimony isn’t boring. It’s beautiful.

Lindsay Hufford is a happy wife and homeschooling mom to three kids. Whether she is reading, running, gardening, teaching, cooking, dancing, writing, or chasing hens, she counts it all as joy. Lindsay writes about this beautiful life at searchforthesimple.com.