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My name is Elya. Somewhere along the way I had gotten confused; I thought that a GOOD testimony was one that involved drugs, alcohol, abuse, etc, and a 180 degree turn-around to the Christian life. I found myself wondering if my testimony was even worth hearing. Then one day God helped me figure things out; someone with what I thought was a "good testimony" came up to me and said, "Elya! How can you think your testimony’s not cool? I’d give ANYTHING to have lived as a Christian my entire life!"
Any day in the life of me is a Christian day. I can just see my crib toys playing hymns as I lay there curled up like a little frog, listening to the sweet songs...Okay. Just kidding. But Mom tells me she danced us around to worship songs as infants (I say "we" meaning my twin brother and I. I came out first, just for the record.), and my Dad read stories to us kids about Christian heroes and their adventures all throughout our childhood. At around 7 years old I decided to give my heart to this really cool Man who never sinned, who knew me before I knew me, and who died on the cross because He loved me THAT much and He wanted to live with me forever. I didn’t know what "giving my heart" really meant at the time, but it didn’t matter. I just wanted to let this Man know that I appreciated Him and that I was happy to love Him like I loved my Dad and Mom.
After that, things just got better. I started learning about this
relationship with God. It seems as though He took me through stages of life in which He played different roles, and all the while He let me know that all of the roles He ever played were combined into His role of God. First, He was this mysterious God who had a really neat Son. That was how I knew Him as a child. Growing older, I saw Him as a Father. I learned more about Him, and finally realized that HE was the one who provided my family love and money and blessings. Then He spoke to me one lonely night when I was away from my family and friends. He told me how much He loved me and how much of a treasure I was to Him. He told me I didn’t have to do ANYTHING to deserve His love. He loved me because He made me. That was His role as a lover. I needed Him to tell me how much He loved me; it was a good time to hear Him speak to me.
Oh, and there was something kinda funny about that night. I know that a lot of people who haven’t heard God’s voice wonder what it sounds like. What did He sound like that night? A lot like me. I felt an urge to open my mouth, even though I was alone in a room, and all of a sudden He was talking to me through me. It was pretty cool. I was laughing and crying all at the same time. I was an emotional mess. But it was beautiful. And I felt a change--a stronger passion and a close devotion to my Lord. That was the first "big moment."
Other "big moments" followed. Of course, I can make any moment a big moment. I remember sitting atop a water slide at White Water (I worked at WW once upon a time) and enjoying the Mimosa flowers and butterflies and cool breeze. Those kinds of moments remind me of how much God loves me and all of His other creations. Those moments are a big part of my testimony. They ingrain into my heart and mind this simple truth that I can share with you... God loves every single thing He’s created. That means He loves every person. That means He loves me and that means He loves you.
It also means one more thing for me. It means I live to honor and love and respect all of His creations. And He gives me strength to do that because He’s cool like that. I live to love you. God loves you more. :) That’s my perspective on life. And that’s my testimony. God bless...Elya |
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