Testimony
Dan Kunz
In a court of law, witnesses testify to what they believe to be accurate and true, based on their experience, knowledge, and firsthand observations. One definition speaks of a solemn attestation to the truth of a matter. In religious terms, testimony can refer to how one became a Christian or what one believes as a Christian. Because today’s society places a high value on someone’s “story”, many people are willing to listen to a personal account of an experience or experiences. We, as Christians, should take advantage of that, as some members of the University of Oklahoma’s NCAA champion women’s softball team recently did.
Blaze TV is, in its own words, a streaming service which offers “news and entertainment for people who love America”. The service recently did an interview with three members of the Sooners softball team and its coach. Grace Lyons, Jayda Coleman, and Alyssa Brito were asked how they dealt with the pressure and stress of attempting to keep their record-setting fifty game winning streak alive and, in the process, win a third straight NCAA championship. The response of these three young women was nothing short of amazing! I encourage you to watch the five-minute clip (which I did on YouTube), but you may want to have some Kleenex handy. Their testimony is an example for all of us.
Grace Lyons: “The only way that you can have a joy that doesn’t fade away is from the Lord. Any other type of joy is actually happiness that comes from circumstances and outcomes… There’s no other way that softball can bring you that because of how much failure comes in it and just how much of a rollercoaster the game can be.”
Jayda Coleman: “We’re not afraid to lose, because it’s not the end of the world if we do lose… It’s not the end of the world because our life is in Christ and that’s all that matters.”
Alyssa Brito: “I think a huge thing that we’ve really latched onto is “Eyes up” (a gesture in which both eyes and index fingers point to the sky). We’re really fixing our eyes on Christ… That’s why we’re so steady in what we do and our love for each other and our love for the game because we know that this game is giving us the opportunity to glorify God… (I learned) how much I have to live for, and that’s to exemplify the Kingdom…This isn’t our home…We have an eternity of joy with our Father and I’m so excited about that…”
Coach Patty Gasso, who obviously has had a huge impact, not only on these players’ softball lives, but their faith lives as well, summarized it best when she said, “They are unapologetic about how they feel and what they believe.”
If the world still contains people such as these young Christians, then we all have cause for optimism about God’s kingdom on earth, assurance that the Holy Spirit is still at work in the hearts and minds of those who hear the Gospel and believe it, and courage to testify about Jesus, the story of a love that goes beyond all human understanding and brings true and lasting joy. We may not have the stage which a national championship offers, but not all stories are told from a stage! Matthew 10:31 “All those who stand before others and say they believe in me, I will say before my Father in heaven that they belong to me.”