Stephanie S. Sawyer
1000 Hicks
Tomball, TX 77375
281-255-2406
Word Count 900
c. October 2005
All Rights Reserved
TESTIMONIES WITH A BACKLASH
Contrary to the rest of the congregation smiling over the testimony being shared in front of the church recently, I sat writhing in my front pew. I noticed something many of them did not. I noticed the other side of the story being left out. I noticed the marked judgment against the other side being spoken about. The victorious testimony against the sin was so aimed at overcoming that it missed an important factor. It missed the compassion necessary to set the sin aside. Is the testimony that you share in the front of the church one of segregation or bias? Do you understand the full implications of receiving all people in the name of love?
Perhaps the woman I heard speaking in this church recently thought her activity with the person she spoke about was healthy and loving. She proudly heralded her story in this way and the congregation picked up that fact. It was obvious that the leadership was supportive as it admittedly stated so. On the other hand, I wrestled in my spirit and tied my tongue where I sat, deciding not to get up and protest. Causing turmoil would not be effective at this point. I could only await a better opportunity.
Often, a speaker will share a story or testimony of victory over another person’s life journey out of a sinful path. At least, it is deemed sinful as judged by that congregation. The speaker has instantly engaged in judging the other party despite the means of sharing victory. The sinful path may be sexual deviances, substance abuse; whatever is relevant to the speaker’s story. The story is usually about a lifestyle change for a higher standard of living and, hopefully, one of faith shared in that congregation.
What the speaker is often unaware is that they may bear their own bias and judgment toward the sinner’s path. It was obvious in this case that the speaker disdained the path of the story she was relating before the turn to victory. Her tone of voice and her facial expressions conveyed a certain rejection of the sinner’s life choices before the victory story. Her attitude in speaking can be called the ‘holier than thou’ approach. And that is exactly why I was writhing in my seat while listening to this testimony. I have been in both sides of the boat, sinful and redeemed, and I have seen lifestyles as a lover of Christ even when wrestling with my spirit wanting to be set free. My spirit relating to the precious soul the woman spoke about was in turmoil. I could easily relate to the feelings of being judged. I was once in the same boat myself, and I did not like sensing that holier-than-thou attitude. Any of us can slip at any given time, and it doesn’t take a bum on the street to slip!
The holier-than-thou attitude states that one would never find one’s self in the same circumstances. And that, my dear brother and sister, is the error of the message in many a testimony.
A speaker may engage in the ‘we and they’ approach. Instant segregation is practiced. There leaves no room for the struggle on the other party’s behalf. Where is the compassion for the struggler in the midst of the struggle? Did that speaker in the front of the room honestly know what it was like to deal with alcohol abuse despite desire in faith? Had the speaker led such a sheltered life that understanding the throes of sexual violation was beyond reach? I suggest there is certain narrow mindedness engaged in this thought processing.
Any person sitting in the congregation who was struggling to be set free from some such bondage may easily have felt the pressure of judgment. Love is the ruling force that wins members to faith, not judgment. I refer to Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Those who would judge her were admonished to look within their own selves rather than judge another. Jesus had compassion for the woman and honored her. And that is exactly what He did for me years ago when I had trouble with alcohol abuse. He won me over with love, not judgment.
So before speaking a victorious testimony about someone else’s life, consider your point of view. Is there honor and integrity depicted for the sinner despite the sin? Or are you still looking down your nose at the sinner’s sin with bias? What if the woman was enslaved to a prostitution ring whose leader beat her and threatened her life with death? That, too, is adultery, but deserved compassion rather than judgment. We know nothing of this particular woman’s struggle. We know only Jesus’ encounter with her.
God judges the heart, the soul, the mind yielded up to Him. Please understand that I do not admonish unbiblical standards. To the contrary, I believe our lives are an opportunity to serve God in holiness for His purpose. And in that context, compassion for all walks of life is the rule of thumb with no hint of “I could never do that”.
Dear brother and sister, that is when your own road will slip just around the corner. There, but for the grace of God, we each go. It is only grace that we can claim, and thanks be to Jesus Christ for giving us just that.
