Spiritual Autobiography: A Personal Testimony Of Salvation

Share What Gives You Hope: Personal Christian Testimonies

I want my daughter, Emily, to keep her innocence. I don’t want her to learn that trusting is foolish. I want her to marvel in little discoveries like the beauty of a butterfly’s wings. I want to stop the broken hearts from lashing out and stealing Emily’s tender young heart. I want the voices in her head to speak of love, joy and happiness. This is what I want.

I'm not in control. I want to dodge every possible cause for Emily's pain. I wish to show her a beautiful, perfect world. What I want is impossible. I can't make an imperfect world perfect. I can't stop Emily from living in a broken world. I can't control the reality that she will feel pain.

God is in control. He's the one that's in charge of Emily's young, tender heart. I pray that He'll make her loving, kind and passionate. I know He'll answer my prayer. I also know that there's a high price for love, kindness and passion. I won't always like the way that God instills these good things in Emily's heart. I'd like Him to answer my prayers for her in a quick, easy and painless way. That's probably not how He'll answer me. I hate that. I wish He'd let me have my way. I know He won't let me have my way, because my way is not the best way. God's ways are the best ways. That's why He's in charge, not me.

Do you wish you were in control? I'm glad I'm not. Knowing that God is in control is the only real hope I have. It's the only hope I have for Emily and all the people I love. He's the only hope I have for me. When I hear the stories others tell about God (their personal Christian testimonies) I have hope for them too. A Christian testimony is encouragement that Jesus Christ is not a fairytale, but a real, personal loving savior who died so that he could become our hope. Consider whether Jesus Christ has a place, as your savior, within your spiritual autobiography. Trust that He is an intimate part of your life, let Him have control, and know that He wants to be the story you have to share.

Finding My Hope: Christian Artist Testimonies

I paint my sweet Emmy Lou as she sleeps. She looks so incredibly innocent. Her skin is creamy like a peach and her golden hair curls tightly to her sleepy head. Behind her resting eyelids are beautiful blue eyes. Her chubby little body is just like mine was when I was a little girl. She is perfect and safe.

I add some things to my canvas that I fear. I add the things I fear will find my sweet Emmy Lou. Innocence Snatchers swirl around the space where she sleeps so peacefully. The world is too big. So much can go wrong. I can’t always be there when the Innocence Snatchers come. “Jesus, keep her safe,” I pray. “Keep my Emmy Lou safe from pain, tears and innocence lost."

I wish I could give Emily more. Instead, I must release her heart to God. Only He can be with her all of the time. His quiet and loving voice can console her pain, dry her tears and shield her from the Innocence Snatchers. Sometimes, though, even He will allow Emily to see the ways our broken world, and our broken hearts, fall short of His perfect plan. I want to stop “sometimes,” from coming but I know that’s wrong. I have to let Emily enter this imperfect world on God’s terms, not mine. All I can do is love her, and hold her when I can, just like my mom did for me. That has got to be enough. It’s all I have. It’s the best I have to give her.

I’d love to offer people a story of happiness that didn’t include the realities of a broken world. That’s not my story. What I have to give is a broken world, a broken heart and the reality of pain mixed with the ever present existence of a loving God. I can’t offer others any more than I can offer Emily. All my story really promises is the promise of God. It’s the best I have to give.

I am a Christian artist and my paintings are testimonies of hope in a broken world. My personal testimony lets me share my story with others who need the hope that I have. As a Christian, my personal testimony tells of a God who made Himself human so that we would see that He understands our pain. The love of God, and the reality of Jesus Christ, are the driving forces of hope behind my story. Every picture I make, every word I write and each testimony I share are my personal testimony of salvation. My story says, "God saves." It's the best I have to give.

The Best I’ve Got to Give Her
Age 34

Find a Place for Hope: Your Personal Testimony of Salvation

What does your story say? What's the best you have to give? Who is in control of your life? Who, or what, is your salvation? Finding expression for the answers to these questions will help your spiritual story take form. Your personal testimony will not be the same as someone else's. God meets us where we are on our journey, and how we answer spiritual questions will be a reflection of our personal relationship with Him. The meaning of words like "salvation" and "hope" will vary from spiritual story to spiritual story. What will be the same is the truth that each of us has our own story to share. Christian testimonies are like a sample of the many tastes of God. Our testimonies are stories that connect us. The way we connect through our individual journeys is part of the beauty of sharing our spiritual autobiographies.

Consider what you hope for. What do you wish for? Who, or what, do you put your faith in? Make a list of all the things you long for. Write about how your life would change if these wishes were met. Write about how your relationship with God might change if you got everything you asked for. Where hope has been lost invite God's encouragement. Where life is out of control invite God's hand of peace. Write a letter to God asking Him for the encouragement and peace you need. Let God's encouragement and peace become part of your story.

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Children of Hope
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I was depressed by what I saw lying about the yard I used to play in as a child: broken sticks, rotting trunks, toppled trees, yellowed weedy grass and rotting apples. My children opened the creaky door leading out from the back porch ready to play and unaware of my sadness. The fallen apple tree before them was an opportunity for play. They knew nothing of what this tree once was to me. All they could see was what it could be for them today: fun. Emily climbed right on top of the largest branch while Zachy watched. A.J. immediately picked up a stick and wielded it like a knight in battle. "Carry on kids," I thought. "Make a better way for your children than I have been able to make for you. Make a better way for your children than my own parents were able to make for me. Battle hard, A.J., for things will get old and pass away but your legacy is my hope. Even in the midst of what is dying all around you, my sweet children, you are my children of hope."

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