Surprisingly, our one-mile walk only took us across one major street. Although it was larger than a residential street, it was not large enough to require a traffic light. We crossed at a crosswalk with a stop sign. Traffic was so light that many kids cut across before they reached the crosswalk, but Anne and I were adamant rule followers.
In fact, once when Anne was home sick, I walked with another
friend who wanted me to cut across. When I refused, she asked, “Who’ll know?” I
told her that I would and that I would have to tell my parents what I’d
done when I got home. One eyebrow raised, she asked why. I shrugged and said I just knew I
would. To her credit, she didn’t abandon me but walked to the crosswalk.
One day, when Anne and I were walking home together, we reached
the crosswalk while deep in conversation. An approaching car stopped for us to
cross, so I stepped off the curb. But then I heard my name shouted as two arms
came around me and yanked me back. Anne and I fell to the ground. I gave her a
questioning look and started to ask why she did that when I heard the screech of
metal on metal and turned to see the car that had stopped for me sailing into
the intersection, sailing over the crosswalk I would have been crossing
through. Anne and I stared at each other, her wide eyes mirroring mine, I’m
sure. I said, “I think you just saved my life.” She nodded slowly, solemn and
silent.
I don’t remember many specifics after that. But I do
remember that we decided we’d better wait for the police to arrive since we
were witnesses to an accident. However, the police only wanted to talk to Anne.
To my surprise, they had no interest in my story. I walked home with mixed
emotions: gratitude toward Anne and frustration toward the police. I didn’t like
being brushed off as unimportant. The police had hurt my feelings. I was almost
a victim, but they did not seem to care.
Like the good friend she was, Anne listened to my frustrations, and then she gently set me straight. She explained that though I was on the scene of the accident, technically, I did not witness it. I did not see the car that failed to stop behind the car that stopped for me. If I had, Anne wouldn’t have had to pull me back to protect me. She witnessed the accident. I did not. I was simply a near-casualty.
Witnesses see things. I didn't see what happened but was only rescued from it. Now I see. I notice. I witness with my eyes, my ears, my fingertips. Then I write what I see.
Walking with God through life and in faith is an experience
just as walking home with Anne and almost being hit by a car was an experience.
Believers cannot yet see God with their own eyes, but they do experience His
work in their lives. They learn what He is like and how to recognize His work
in the world by studying His Word, the Bible. When they recognize His work in
their lives, they can bear witness—as Anne bore witness to the accident.
If we want others to know God, we can tell them what the Bible says about Him and pray for His Spirit to give them faith to believe. However, our testimony is only effective when we bear witness to our own experience of God. We bear witness by the way we live, walking with God and obeying His Word. We also bear witness by telling our stories. We cannot bear witness to what we have not experienced, but God can use a testimony based on truth in powerful ways.
· When have you recognized God’s work in your life?
· What do you know He’s done for you?
· How can you bear witness to help make His greatness known?
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