“What’s Your Testimony?”

“What’s your testimony?”

To be honest, I’m not always sure how to answer that question.

I like to tell people I was born on a Saturday, in church on Sunday, and haven’t missed a service since. Most, if not all, my childhood revolved around Christian community. So you could say that I grew up in church. 

This makes Christianese questions like, “How did you get saved?” or “When did you first encounter Jesus?” a little hard for me to answer. In a way, Jesus has always been in my life in one way or another. 

Hearing other people’s testimonies didn’t make things easier. Every week I would hear stories of people being healed, families being reconciled, addictions being broken, as well as others about how their encounter with Jesus transformed their lives forever. Must be nice. 

In hindsight, I think I wanted to have a “Road to Damascus” moment. You know, a moment where Jesus meets you with a bright light and bombastic voice. Something that people write down and talk about for 2,000 years. That’s the kind of testimony I wanted! 

Spoiler alert: I never got it. I never got that big, singular moment. 

However, as a grown up, looking back on growing up in the church, I see many small moments where I encountered Jesus. 

Through reading and studying scripture, I encountered Jesus.

Through prayer journaling, I encountered Jesus.

Through worshiping in song and service, I encountered Jesus.

Through a community of fellow Christian, I encountered Jesus.

And through scripture, prayer, worship, and community, I STILL encounter Jesus. 

“What’s your testimony?”

I encountered Jesus at a very young age, and I am still encountering him today.