Tainted Testimonies

Tainted testimonies are NOT like footprints in the sand. Footprints in the sand are gone as soon as the next wave washes ashore, but tainted testimonies are like footprints across a freshly concreted sidewalk... a permanent mark that will become forever part of the sidewalk. What are tainted testimonies?


Tainted testimonies are poor testimonies by Christians to a watching world, and unfortunately we all have them. The issue to me is not that we have them, but what we do with them.


Knowing that I am a sinner and fraught with sin is to understand my tendencies and, ultimately, that my testimony is tainted. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart that helps me pray for humility daily and deal with those things that come my way that taint my testimony with the same things that taint yours... pride, control, selfishness, ego, being right and the list goes on and on.


What do I do with my tainted testimony when I blow it, and I blow it a lot? Well, I sink to my knees and ask my Savior for forgiveness as I have grieved Him. I apologize and seek forgiveness from the offended party, if there is one. And, finally, I ask God to change me and take away this tendency. And, I have found that when this happens - the proper Christian response by a Christian - it becomes a wonderful testimony to a watching world. It actually becomes a better testimony to a watching world because what we are not is... perfect, and we do not want to present that to the world. What we want to present is the difference, and the difference is not us, but Christ in us. Blessings!