Taking family photos is like having an emergency tooth extraction… without pain killers… and it will probably (read: absolutely) cost you more money than you budgeted.
These “family bonding” moments are made even more “enjoyable” by the fact that you know that one person is determined to post the perfect photo to Instagram. That means dressing the kids, fixing everyone’s hair, sucking in your stomach, and begging your child to stop rolling in the dirt — all while being quietly yelled at (read: threatened) by that one person hissing directives under their breath. And after hours of chaos, sweat, erased tears, and forced smiles, the photographer finally captures one usable shot.
The final photo may look perfect, but it hides all the relatable details — the chaos, the tears, and the not-so-veiled threats of dismemberment. And yet, we post the polished picture and not the painful process that got us there.
Unfortunately, a lot of us treat our testimonies the same way. We share the clean version: “God saved me!” “I used to struggle with ‘pride’!” But that’s not the whole story. It’s not even the real story — and it’s definitely not the powerful story.
Your testimony isn’t just your salvation moment from that one time at summer youth camp. It’s the ongoing, day-in, day-out story of how God is still rescuing you, changing you, maturing you, and setting you free.
It’s the little victories, like choosing patience instead of snapping at your spouse.
It’s the embarrassing moments, like confessing your struggle with _____ again… and staying present to watch the tears flow down the cheeks of the one you’re confessing to.
It’s the boring habits, like re-reading that one passage of Scripture for the third time, because your thoughts drifted off again.
It’s the quiet miracle of not believing the same lies you used to live under.
Freedom in Jesus isn’t just a theological concept. It’s practical. Real. Measurable. He frees us from specific mindsets, addictions, toxic patterns, and false identities — not just some abstract concept of some misunderstood future “hell.”
As John said to the early church in Revelation 12.11, “They conquered the enemy completely through the blood of the Lamb and the powerful word of their testimony. They triumphed because they did not love and cling to their own lives, even when faced with death.”
Let’s be real. Most of us won’t have to die for our faith. But how many of us are willing to kill our reputation to share the real story of what we’ve been through or what we’ve done?
People aren’t changed by the polished version of your story. They’re changed by the real, messy process of your salvation.
Take some time this week and ask yourself this question: What part of my real story — the messy, daily, God-is-still-working and I don’t want anyone to know kind — do I need to share with someone this week?
God bless,
Nathan
