That was brave

‘Oh, Robin! Hey. I wanted to thank you for your testimony in chapel yesterday’

‘…thanks’

‘it was really powerful. It was so brave of you to share that’

‘uh…thank you…’

 

I’ve had this conversation over and over in the last few hours, and I still haven’t worked out how to reply.

I’m really glad that what I said had enough of an impact that people are stopping me in the corridor to tell me they were moved by it. I was delighted to be able to tell so many people about what God has done for me. I was really moved when applause burst out when I reached the point in my testimony when God healed me. Being able to publically reveal the wonder God has done for me was …well, wonderful. I really appreciate the support and love that these comments reveal too. But I just don’t know what to say when they happen.

Perhaps it’s a symptom of my personality, because I’ve always suffered from a bizarre preference for speaking to huge groups of people over individuals. I just find it less intimidating. Reverse stage fright if you will. So every time over the last day or so someone has thanked me for my testimony I’ve ended up replying ‘thank you’ as if it were a compliment I’m too modest to receive.  But the part of it that makes me unsure how to respond is that ever present phrase ‘that was brave’.

It wasn’t brave of me to tell my testimony. Bravery is when you take a step beyond where you think you can go. But I knew I was able, willing, and comfortable to tell my story and have it known publically.

A few times I’ve tried to respond by rebuffing the idea that it was brave, and I ended up tongue-tied and looking confused but modest.

But what I really want to do and can’t quite manage is to turn that conversation to God’s glory. If I was able to tell what he’s done for me, it was because I was so eager to tell people what he has done for me that it would be wrong for me not to tell. My cup overflows with joy as the psalmist says, and so I needed to overflow my praise of his name into the public sphere.

So I’ve decided that if anyone else tries to thank me for my testimony, I’ll find the courage – and it will be courage this time- to makes the conversation go like this;

 

‘Oh, Robin! Hey. I wanted to thank you for your testimony in chapel yesterday. It was really powerful. It was so brave of you to share that’

‘I appreciate your encouragement. It was great to have the chance to tell so many people about what God has done’