People & Society

Testimony. What does that word even mean? The above definitions in the picture do not exactly help explain the meaning. English is whack and yet that is what my Master’s degree is in. Why is it that so many words have multiple meanings? Honestly, the best part of this entire picture is the bottom where it describes the origin of the word. Latin > testis > a witness. This is truly the best place to begin in my humble opinion.

When I started publishing a few weeks ago, my goal was just to be brave and post twice a week: writing about things that matter to me, hoping to make a connection with others, and getting in the habit of doing something I love on a regular basis. What I have learned so far, is that the posts that seem to resonate most with readers have primarily to do with my experiences as a mother and a wife. Both of those have to do with my womanhood. I am also a daughter, step-daughter, and daughter-in-law, and what I have to offer from those perspectives will be funducational reads. What about my relationships with my girlfriends, co-workers, and the women I have raised my children with? What about my experience living and working in ministries (or businesstries as I define them) for the last 12 years? Friends, we have PLENTY of material to go over as we meet. BUT, these are from my perspective as a witness to all that God has done, is doing, and will do in all of these places in my life. This is why I started with the word: Testimony.

As a Christian, my view of this word has transformed over my lifetime. When I was young, I remember listening to people share their testimonies. Stories about how the Lord changed their lives in incredible ways. As I grew up, TEDtalks were a real thing and they were basically testimonies of what was happening in people’s lives right then. I have friends who no longer ask what is your story, but rather what is God doing in your life right now, and that is a great question! To be able to see where God is and where he is moving is key to living for him. When I entered the worlds of academia and ministry, the forecasting of what could be and what the hope for the future would be was the motivating testimony of those in charge. This morphing definition of testimony from done to doing to will do has really messed with my understanding of what it is that I have to share with you. Do I stick to sharing what has already been done, do I move to present tense to what is currently being done, or do step out and discuss what I hope and know will be done in the future?

I have come to the conclusion, that this space will be dedicated to all three. My testimony about what has been done, what is being done, and what will be done all have a place here. I’ll be honest, there are proverbial rabbit holes when I think about starting a discussion on even one topic. There are SO many things that I want to share that I don’t even really know where to begin. Maybe I need to take them in turn: Done, doing, will do. Sharing what God has done, then sharing what he is doing right now, and then sharing hope for what will be/could be. There is so much truth to share from all these perspectives. I’m looking forward to fleshing them out and writing on one thing God has done on Friday.