Did you notice how “testimony” begins with the word “test”?  2 Corinthians 1:4-5 explains how one leads to the other. “God comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings alongside someone who’s going through hard times so we can be there for that person, just as God was there for us.” (MSG)

In “Words of Hope and Help,” Max Lucado explained that scripture. “You didn’t sign up for this crash course in single parenting?  No, God enrolled you.  He’s taken the intended evil and rewoven it into this curriculum.  Why?  So you can teach others what He’s taught you.  Rather than say, ‘God, why?’ ask ‘God, what?  What can I learn from this experience?’ Rather than ask God to change your circumstances, ask Him to use your circumstances to change you. Life is a required course — might as well do your best to pass it.  You will get through this.”

When I wrote A Little Faith Lift: Finding Joy Beyond Rejection, I didn’t have to conjure up life-tests in which I had failed.  I had more than I could count and had to choose which to eliminate.  Since the book was published, I have had enough new “tests” to create a sequel.  What I had prayed for (that others would be able to relate to my humiliation and find confidence in their own miscues) happened.  Hearing that my readers now take risks or recognize they have value or no longer give bullies any power in their lives made me thank God for my messes.  My tests had become my testimony.

Through God’s power, what seems like a setback becomes a setup for a testimony. Not giving up allows our Heavenly Father to do His work, His unexplainable masterpiece.  Piece by piece, He is completing His tapestry of perfection out of our challenges. We just have to be willing to turn our mess into our message.

When our baby died at the hands of a quack doctor, I despaired, never realizing that God would use that depression to lead me into a relationship with Him.  Because of that, I have had numerous opportunities to offer comfort and hope to mothers whose baby died.  I can say “I understand” and mean it.

If we learn to be honest about our brokenness rather than playing super Christian and pretending all is well, God can do His work.  Billy Graham understood the importance of us turning our victimhood into our victory: “The unbelieving world should see our testimony lived out daily because it just may point them to the Savior.”

The devil never can take away our testimonies of God’s provision.  How frustrated he must be as he watches us deal with troubling times only to have us rely on the only One who can turn things around so we can brag about His provision!  What test are you dealing with right now?  Are you looking for ways to cheat your way through it, trying to figure out how to deal with it on your own, or are you patiently enduring, waiting for God to teach you what you need to know to grow closer to Him?

Remember, there is no testimony without a test.