I actually had my first meeting with my unofficially official editor last week. It felt like I was asking somebody to pick apart my soul and tell me everything I had ever done wrong. But she went easy on me, and she was very encouraging. There was one piece of encouragement, in fact, that I plan to apply not only to my writing, but to my testimony.
As we were discussing my questionable grammar and what she referred to as a “voice,” she told me that I need to be conversational. She insisted that it would make my book more relatable and that it allows me to be a part of the text.
How often do we try to be proper or formal when we are sharing the gospel? In fact, we usually end up being downright formulaic. I suppose we are afraid that we will mess something up or get something wrong. But ultimately, we end up taking the power out of our testimony.
Testimonies are supposed to be more than sharing a step by step process for getting to know Jesus. Sharing your testimony is supposed to be sharing your story and your experience with Jesus, and letting people know how much He means to you. When we try to formalize it or follow a prescribed witnessing plan, we take our experience out of the equation.
Being conversational allows our voice and our story to be prominent in our testimony. It also invites those we are sharing with into our stories and into our lives. If we invite them in and they see firsthand what a relationship with Jesus is all about, that is when our testimony is most impactful.
Be relatable. Be personal. Be conversational. That is how Jesus dealt with people, so maybe it is time we start doing the same.