OK, so here’s the thing: I have been blessed with many opportunities to preach over the years. I take each one seriously and try to faithfully communicate the truth of Scripture and what God has laid on my heart. I dig in and do my exegesis. I then spend time on how I want to express my thoughts. I used to get nervous about preaching but I rarely get nervous anymore. Excited for sure, but not nervous.
Until…
I was asked to give my testimony to our youth group recently. Initially, when asked, I thought “No problem. I know my own history. Not a big deal.”
But as the day got closer, I began to experience some unexpected anxiety. It had nothing to do with nerves over speaking in front of a group. It was realizing that I had to make sure that the testimony of a 55-year-old coot would somehow resonate with our teens who were many decades removed from the 1970’s culture in which I embraced my faith. I couldn’t spin it to make it somehow more relevant, because teens have a pretty well-developed (I will be polite here) “phoniness” detector. And additionally, many of these teens were homeschooled, so we came from radically different worlds.
I could hear the crickets chirping already. This was not going to be good.
My saving grace came when a friend said “Just be yourself. Tell your story.” And to the best of my ability, that’s what I did. The reactions and comments afterwards were meaningful and helpful. They told me that my story meant something to them or touched them on some level. I was reminded of two valuable truths from this experience.
First, we tend to de-value our own stories. Most of us consider ourselves to be regular folks, and therefore assume that our stories are nothing special. But God seems to have so designed things that He will make sure your path crosses with people who need to hear your story – precisely your story – told in the way only you can tell it. It has meaning, and it needs to be told whenever you have the opportunity. It is a mini-version of the Incarnation that is completely unique to you (we need to explore that concept down the road). It’s almost a sacrament. As God has entered your own personal history, He wants to enter others’. And your testimony may well be His chosen vehicle to make that happen. Don’t be shy about it. Tell your story, or relevant aspects of it, whenever the opportunity is presented.
And second, our responsibility is ONLY to tell. We are not able to convict or convince. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. When we try to fill the Holy Spirit’s role, we only mess things up. Tell your story, then get out of the way and let God do what God does best (just remain available for Him to use you as He chooses). He knows what He is up to.
So - what's your story?
So - what's your story?
