One of my favorite testimonies comes from a man who visited our youth group when I was a teenager. He had lived a crazy life and had been into everything immoral that he could sample from this evil world. One day, when he was driving drunk on a rainy night through his hometown, his car started to spin out into an intersection. Even in his drunken state, he had a split second to think that he would die and that his car would wrap itself around a light pole. Everything seemed to slow down and, as he looked around inside his car, he saw an angel in his passenger seat! The angel had its hands over its face. He perceived in his heart that it was praying for him! His car continued spinning and finally ended up on the sidewalk. There was some damage to it and to the corner, but he was alive and unharmed. When the police showed up, he was arrested for drunk driving and thrown in jail. Despite being in jail, he couldn't get the vision of the angel out of his head! For the first time in years, he began reading a Bible as he awaited his court date. He wanted to know more about angels, but that study caused him to be hungry to learn more and more about God. Later, with the help of a prison chaplain, he gave his life to Jesus. He never looked back, except to share his testimony with young people like those of us in that youth group. As we listened to him, there was not a sound in the room. His story, his testimony, was touching others.
Another testimony I remember is one that I read in Guideposts Magazine. A man told the story of his rebellious teen years. He would sneak out of the house, come home late, and get into lots of trouble. At the time, his grandmother was living with the family. Every morning and evening, she would sit in a living room chair near a lamp and read her bible and pray. One time he asked her what she was praying for. “I’m praying for you and your brothers and sisters, your cousins, your mom and dad…” she answered. For some reason, it impressed him that she spent so much time talking to God. Several decades later, his grandmother sat in the front row at church when he was baptized. He was now in his 30s, had been married, had kids, gotten addicted to drugs, divorced…He’d endured lots of pain. God had met him every step of the way. One of the main reasons he finally gave his life to Jesus was because his grandmother was a living, breathing testimony to faith.
My testimony isn’t as colorful, but I have had my fair share of struggles. I had many emotional hurts and fears from my childhood that were unbearable. I was raised in a very strict household and, because I was a sensitive kid, I took the punishments and scoldings very hard. By the time I was in my early 20s, anxiety and fear crippled me. At about that same time, a friend introduced me to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). I had never heard Amy Grant or Sandi Patty or any of the other CCM artists from the mid-80s. Their music opened up a whole new world of worship to me and, one day, on my way home from work, I got saved listening to an Amy Grant song on my car stereo. In a single moment, I realized God’s love for me and that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for me! (John 3:16) Right there, waiting at a red light at the intersection of 190th and Crenshaw in Torrance, California, I gave my life to Jesus.
As you can see, everyone’s testimony is different. It is unique to that person and their circumstance. God pursued them and patiently waited for them to stop, turn around and see Him for who He is: Deliverer, Comforter, Savior, Healer, Restorer…our God and Father. Amen! (Isaiah 9:6, 1 John 1:5, 2 Peter 3:9, Psalm 116:5, Psalm 68:19-20)
What is your testimony?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23 NIV
Paula Aiton is a member of Koinonia Church and a freelance writer, musician and artist. Her blog, God’s Glory Girl, can be found at godsglorygirl.com
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