Lame Testimony Syndrome

This has been on my heart and mind for a while. Anyone who grew up in the church ever think that their testimony is "lame?" Like you were never addicted to anything or deep into any sin, you never had a rock-bottom experience to jar you from your sin. For some reason, we seem to think that these are the cool testimonies that people want to hear, but God's moving in people's lives is fantastic to hear from anyone. I am not trying to discredit more intense testimonies, but trying to encourage those who think that theirs is not worth telling.
God's mercy and grace are greater than we could ever imagine. Until recently, maybe a year and a half ago, I thought that my testimony was really boring and that no one would want to listen to it. I was saved when i was about 4 years old and have grown up in the church ever since then. At face value this is no where near as captivating as a testimony from someone who was caught in deep sin, but then I started thinking about it and I became incredibly thankful. When I realized that I have never really had to deal with anything on my own, God has always been there to help me. I may not have know this as well as I do now, but my understanding of it grows continually. I am grateful that God showed Himself to me at such a young age.
What I can share from my testimony I hope can be an encouragement to others who have Lame Testimony Syndrome (LTS). My story rests more in my growth with God than Him saving me from a wretched life of wastefulness and sin. This is not to say that I never sin, duh, everyone still sins i struggle with sin like everyone else, but my slavery to sin was much shorter than many. All of this time in Christianity has been great, but there are disadvantages. Complacency and arrogance are probably the most dangerous of the disadvantages. Taking for granted God's grace and providence is never a good thing. But more often, God's great love for me jars my complacency and breaks down my arrogance (always could be done more though Romans 7:14- 8:1 is a fantastic reminder).
My relationship with God has been a fantastic 13 years, He has always provided for me and lavished me with blessings. He never will leave me or forsake me. I will never be able to comprehend the sheer massiveness of God in this life, but I look forward to that day with extreme anticipation.
Those of you who think that you have a boring testimony!!! Don't think this way! If you are a Christian it is all part of God's plan for your life, don't ever think that He hasn't provided for you, please. Let us all encourage each other and continue to grow in our knowledge of God and His extreme affection for us. Please add comments or thoughts to this.
This passage comes to mind: Philippians 2 (NASB)

Be Like Christ

1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Some Late Night Thoughts About Love

So I just finished watching the documentary, LORD, Save Us From Your Followers and my mind is abuzz with thoughts and a deep-seated conviction in my heart to love people more, just for the sheer fact that they were created in the image of God. This film, made by a Christian, highlighted the church's failure to love--especially in America--and how this turned people away from the Gospel. It reminded me that we too often get caught up in proving points and pushing our own ideas that we forget that the person listening is also a human--whether or not they are right of wrong.

Understand that I am in no way downplaying the importance of intelligent thought or doctrine in Christianity; in fact, Paul calls for anathema on those who preach a gospel contrary to that given in the Bible (Galatians 1:8-9). I wish to raise the level of love I show others.

Too often the church tells people how depraved they are without showing them the way out of their sin. Too often, the church judges homosexuality and people who get abortions more than those who divorce or adulterate--even the fact the church condemns certain groups of people is not right (Romans 2:1-4), it gives the wrong impression about the nature of God. Non-Christians look at Jesus' life and see that he spoke to the Samaritan woman, he hung out with the tax collectors and prostitutes and did not condemn the people. See, it is possible to disapprove of an act or practice while not besmirching the rest of their character; their sin is no less forgivable than is ours. Non-Christians know the "get the log out of your own eye" line and sadly--although I have heard it out of good context--Christians give them entirely too many opportunities to reference this passage. How often do we need to tame our tongues instead of letting a harsh criticism fly out. We are to build up and edify with our speech, in love, so that we do not sound like a 3rd grader learning Flugelhorn. (Sorry if I am just jumping around or if this is incoherent, it's late/early, but these thoughts need to get out before I sleep).

So to avoid hypocritically criticizing the church for not loving I should add a few things, namely: I am a hypocrite, I condemn certain acts and then committ the same thing later. I love myself too much and therefore do not love others as I should. I say things that I wish I could take back, things that hurt, teardown, mislead, or cut--about specific people, from aquaintences to political leaders, and groups on whole, such as gays, people who get abortions, and others who I just don't agree with. This, however, gives me no right whatsoever to condemn the people. I am not God, that's not my job; my job is to show these people Christ's immeasureable love through action and allow the Holy Spirit to convict them, of their sin, while simultaneously humbling myself to receive God's correction for me. Sanctification doesn't end in this life, in other words, you'll always be a sinner while you are alive on this earth, but in Christ, there is no condemnation.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

-1 John 3:18

Love requires that we take action and move on it. The love of the Christian (myself included) for the non-Christian and hurting should make them jump out of their pew, folding chair, or theater seat--depening on church background--and serve people as Christ humbly served here on the earth. Love people for being people made in the image of God.

Good night =D