Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Do you have a story? You know, that story you like to tell at parties or to family and friends. When you tell it, you get very animated and excited. You draw people in with the humor or suspense of the story.  The more times you tell it, the better you get at the delivery of it. It really is a great story. 

That story is your testimony (spoken statement) of an event that you saw first-hand. That is all a testimony is. I think sometimes, when it comes to a testimony about your faith, people are scared to share it. Well let me tell you, it is a just a story. A story about one event in your life where God was present. You must have hundreds of them. I know I do. So, pick one and start telling it. The more you tell it, the better you will get at sharing it and the less scared you will be. Here is one of my stories.

A few years ago, I was cleaning out my purse and I found several gift cards that I had forgotten about. One was for Wal-Mart and I decided to use it to get gas. I called the number on the back to see how much money was on it and they confirmed there was $20. During my lunch break at work, I ran over to the Wal-Mart gas station to get my “free” gas. There must have been something wrong with the card (probably from floating around in my purse for so long) because it would not work at the pump. So, rolling my eyes, I went to the cashier’s window and tried to use the card there. Again, it did not work. The lady said she could not fix it but that I should go inside the store to the Customer Service desk. 

So, I got back in my car and drove over to the actual Wal-Mart store. I did not have a lot of time because I was on my lunch break, but I figured, how long could this take, right? Of course, when I got inside there was a line. Evidently the computer was not working right, and it was taking longer than normal to process each customer’s request. While I was waiting my turn, I noticed the lady in front of me had three children. Two young boys (maybe 5 and 3) and a little bitsy baby girl in one of those light weight “umbrella” strollers that fold up like an umbrella. The boys were patiently pushing the stroller back and forth as though to comfort the baby who was not making a peep. So sweet. So well behaved. When it was the lady’s turn, it appeared as though she was making an exchange. I guess it was not an equal exchange because she had to pull out her wallet and she started counting coins. Now I am thinking to myself, seriously? What was supposed to be a quick stop at Wal-Mart for gas has now taken me 20 minutes and I still do not have any gas! 

It was finally my turn and I told the worker behind the counter that my gift card was not working but that I had confirmed it had $20 on it. I was trying get some gas and they said I needed to come inside to fix it.  After about 5 or 6 minutes (remember the computers were not working right) I finally had my gift card and I headed out of the store to go get my gas. Thirty minutes! I could not believe I had wasted half my lunch hour trying to get gas. As I am walking back to my car, I pass the lady and her three kids. They were standing in front of a Redbox looking to rent a movie. I kept walking and then as clearly as I hear anyone speak to me, I heard God tell me, “Give her the gift card.”

I kept walking. In my defense, I was not sure what I was hearing or if I really heard it at all. But then I heard it again, “Give her the gift card. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” I have heard people talk about hearing God speak to them, but it had never happened to me. I had prayed that it would happen to me because I really wanted to hear from God, but up until now, it had never actually happened. So, I stopped, turned around and started walking back to the lady and her children. Honestly, I was scared. I had never done this before, and I was not sure what to say. I literally started weeping a little because I was so nervous and excited to be doing the Lord’s work. When I got back to her, I said, “God spoke to me and he wants me to give you this gift card. God bless you.” I handed her the gift card, she thanked me, and I walked away.

I got in my car and just cried. I was so overwhelmed with the entire situation. I could not believe how blessed I felt. I had used up 30 mintues of my time and ended up giving away the gift card, but I felt like I was the one that received a gift. I can see now that God orchestrated it all. Finding the gift card, going to the gas station, the card not working and putting me in line behind the lady He wanted to bless. All I had to do was listen and obey.

So, there you go, that is one of my stories (testimonies). I love telling it because it clearly shows God’s love for me and His desire to help me grow in my faith.  It also shows how He loves His other daughter and wanted to bless her through what He had given to me. I have shared that story a number of times and everyone I tell seems to be inspired by it. Now take some time and think about your story. Then look for opportunities to share it.

Heavenly Father, thank you for opportunities to bless other people. Open our eyes to see the needs of those around us, open our ears to hear you speak to us and open our hearts so that we can pour our faith into those you put into our path.  Amen.