The Christian Without a Testimony

That's how I once thought of myself. Having heard and read countless tales of how people found God in the midst of adversity, or whose faith helped them through life's toughest challenges, I felt somewhat lacking. Like many people brought up by Christian parents, the story of my coming to faith is very ordinary. Dull, even. Obviously I should be thankful for the blessings I have had all my life, and for being able to find salvation without going through the mill. But was I? Or have I just taken it all for granted?

Living the Christian life is easy in our cosy, Western civilisation. In places like China, where the Christian church has to be an underground movement, following Christ is a constant challenge. Becoming a martyr is a very real threat in some parts of the world. So Christians learn to rely on God, as we all should. As I should.

That, I believe, is why God allowed me to get addicted to porn. That's why he let me get to the brink of sabotaging my comfortable life, to risk losing my job, my homes, my family, and everything else that makes life so cosy.

Sometimes, we have to hit the bottom before we can look up.