Testimony

My favorite testimonies are those of the most drastic change. What do authors Josh McDowell and C.S. Lewis have in common? Both were atheists who essentially proved themselves wrong, and their works have since become some of the strongest arguments for apologetics.

Billy Graham is another contemporary example; he was once taken to the doctor by his parents out of concern that he was "not normal" and had "too much energy". Throughout adolescence he was filled with self-doubt, but once saved and called to ministry, he fell to his knees and submitted his life to the Lord. Ironically enough, the same young man once so concerned of not being a strong enough speaker later led countless to Christ through his conferences- his name now synonymous for the word "Crusade".

The apostle Paul had a dramatic 180-degree turnaround after Jesus literally stopped him in his tracks on the road to Damascus. No longer a law-abiding Pharisee out to extinguish followers of "The Way", he became the first to reach the Gentile world and the most ferocious fighter for the gospel the Mediterranean region had yet seen.

These are the stories who brag boldly on the redemption and transformation found when Christ's resurrection power invades human history. And what can we glean from these stories to apply to our lives today? Even post-conversion Paul was forced to daily nail his flesh to the cross and allow Christ to live through his life, flaws and all. We'll never know what his "thorn" was, but each of us has been given one, in proportion with how Christ will choose to allow it to be used for his gain to advance his kingdom in each of us. "...Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" -1 Corinthians 12:7-10.

God has great faith in his ability to let his light shine through in the lives of those who have lost and neglected faith in themselves. Not because of our strengths; our natural talents would only attempt to overshadow the raw power of Christ. Even after salvation, he has little interest in what we have to offer in comparison to the weaknesses in which he is best able to show off his greatness. It brings an entirely new understanding to the concept of self-confidence; take into account the words of St. Augustine- “In my deepest wound I saw your glory, and it dazzled me.”