I Have a Testimony
Scripture: "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story." —Psalm 107:2
Today, Monday, October 12, I celebrate a milestone birthday.
A milestone like this makes you stop and look back. I don't mean the wish-I-could-do-it-over kind of looking back. I mean the kind you do at the top of a long hill, when you turn around and take in the path behind you.
From here, I can see the whole road. There were smooth, bright stretches and steep climbs that left me breathless. There were places where I stumbled, and places where I had to sit down and wait because I couldn't see the way forward.
Everywhere I look along that road, I see the same thing: God was there.
So I'm stepping into this new season with a grateful heart. God has carried me through moments of joy and seasons of struggle. He has answered prayers, and He has held me steady while I waited on prayers that seemed to go unanswered. Every one of those chapters, the ones I'd gladly relive and the ones I'd never choose again, has become part of my testimony.
That's why this birthday has become more than a personal celebration. It's a moment to remember, to give thanks, and to share my testimony as a reminder that the God who carried me then is still carrying me now.
Let the Redeemed of the Lord Tell Their Story
Psalm 107 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It opens with a simple call: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Then it turns to the people who have experienced that goodness and tells them to speak up.
What follows is a series of snapshots. Some people wandered in the desert, hungry and thirsty, with no place to settle. Some sat in darkness and chains. Some were brought low by their own foolish choices. Others were sailors caught in a storm so violent they were "at their wits' end."
Their circumstances differ completely, but their stories follow the same pattern. They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out. Again and again, the psalm repeats the same refrain: "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind."
I love that the psalm doesn't pretend the trouble wasn't real. The desert was dry. The chains were heavy. The storm was terrifying. But none of those things got the final word. God did. And the people He rescued were told not to keep that to themselves.
That's the heart of a testimony.
What a Testimony Really Is
There is power in telling what God has done.
A testimony is not a performance. It isn't about making life sound polished or pretending every question has been answered. It is simply an honest witness that says, "This is where I was. This is what God did. This is how His grace met me."
Notice that Psalm 107 doesn't ask the redeemed to explain their rescue or tie up every loose end. It simply asks them to tell it.
There is something strengthening about spoken gratitude. When we tell the story of God's goodness, we remind ourselves that we did not make it this far alone. We also give someone else the courage to trust God in their own season.
I have often been strengthened by the stories of others. One person shared how God provided. Another told how they survived grief. Others spoke of forgiveness, healing, or fresh purpose after failure. Their stories didn't erase my struggle, but they helped me believe that grace could reach me too.
That is why testimonies matter. And that is why I'm sharing mine today.
Faith Has Guided Me Through Life's Challenges
Here's something I want to say clearly, because I think it's often misunderstood. When I say God has been good to me, I don't mean every day was easy. I don't mean every prayer was answered the way I expected, or on the timeline I hoped for. I mean that, through every season, God remained faithful.
There have been challenges that stretched me. Times of loss. Times of uncertainty. When I was weary, He gave me strength. Isaiah 40:31 promises that "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength," and I've lived long enough to see that promise kept more times than I can count.
When I was hurting, He gave me comfort. Paul calls Him "the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles" (2 Corinthians 1:3–4). Notice that word in. Not "keeps us from" all our troubles, but comforts us in them.
When I couldn't see what came next, He gave me hope to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Some of the most beautiful words about God's faithfulness were written in one of Israel's darkest moments. In Lamentations, after Jerusalem was destroyed, the writer says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22–23).
That isn't the praise of someone whose life went perfectly. It's the praise of someone who looked at the rubble and still found God there. That's the kind of goodness I'm talking about: the kind that leads you to worship.
Songs That Carried Me
Music has often carried truth into places where plain words could not reach. Songs have helped me pray when I felt tired. They have helped me rejoice when gratitude overflowed. They have helped me remember who God is.
One song that has often lifted my heart is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," a hymn drawn from those same words in Lamentations. The title alone feels like a summary of my life's story. I have changed. Circumstances have changed. People have come and gone. But God's faithfulness has remained.
Another song that speaks deeply to this season is "Goodness of God." It captures the feeling of looking back and seeing God's hand throughout the whole story: not only in the good chapters, but in the difficult ones too.
And then there's the song so many of us know: "I have a testimony, God has been good to me." As I celebrate this milestone, those words feel deeply personal.
This Birthday Is My Ebenezer
I can give thanks, not because my life has been perfect, but because God has been present. He has been present in the celebrations and in the hospital waiting rooms of life. He has been present in the answered prayers and in the long silences. He has never once left me to walk the road alone.
In 1 Samuel 7, after God helped Israel through a battle, the prophet Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us" (1 Samuel 7:12). That stone was a marker. It meant: Remember this. God brought us here.
This birthday is my Ebenezer. Thus far, the Lord has helped me. By His grace, I have made it to this day. And because He has been faithful through every one of my years on this earth, I can trust Him to guide me into the years ahead, whatever they hold.
Turning 60 With Hope for What's Still Ahead
It's tempting to think of milestone birthdays only as markers of what has passed. Sixty years of life. Sixty years of memories. Sixty years of lessons, prayers, friendships, responsibilities, and changes.
But I don't want to spend this birthday only looking backward. I also want to look forward with hope.
God's goodness is not limited to my past. His faithfulness is not finished. As long as there is breath, there is purpose. There are still people to love, prayers to pray, kindnesses to offer, scriptures to live, and stories to tell.
I want the years ahead to be marked by deeper trust. Less striving and more surrender. Less fear and more peace. Less hurry and more presence. I want to be quick to thank God and quick to encourage others. I want my life to keep saying, in quiet and clear ways, that Jesus is faithful.
Aging brings changes. Some are welcome, and some take grace to accept. But aging also brings perspective. It teaches us what matters, and what never mattered as much as we thought. As Psalm 90:12 prays, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
So at 60, I am asking God for a heart that remains teachable, a spirit that remains joyful, a faith that remains steady, and a love that remains open.
I'm not celebrating a flawless life. I'm celebrating a faithful God.
An Invitation to Share What God Has Done
As I celebrate 60 years, I feel a deep desire to encourage you to remember your own story. Not only the dramatic moments. Not only the stories that sound complete. Start with the simple ones.
Where did God give you peace?
Where did He provide?
Where did He protect you?
Where did He help you forgive?
Where did He give you strength when you wanted to give up?
Where did He bring joy back?
If one of those questions brought a memory to mind, that's where your testimony begins.
Your story may be exactly what someone else needs to hear. It may help a child understand prayer. It may encourage a friend who feels alone. It may remind your own heart that God has been closer than you realized.
You don't need perfect words to share God's goodness. You only need honesty and gratitude.
Sixty years have taught me this: God is good, God is faithful, and His grace has been enough.
What has God done in your life? I'd love to hear your story. Share it in the comments, or pass this along to someone who needs a reminder that God is still good.
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