Life as a Testimony

I was thinking of my life and how i would compare my life to.
and it was a wide spectrum. That I could compare to so many things.
so i went about asking my friends, and one of them, Pearlyn said:
"How about? Life as a Testimony."

My first reaction was "Wow, this is really strong and unique!"
And I asked her why she compared life as a testimony.
She said “I want to live a life that brings a good testimony so that people can model after."
And so it got me thinking on what she means by life as a testimony.
Therefore, I went to ask her.
And she said "I want to leave as a good testimony to my God and I want to bring glory to Him."
So I further probe and ask her.

She did not have any concrete plans on how she could bring glory to her God.
And I ask her, if it is a want or a need to her.
She said it is a want.
Further chatting on, she shared that she tried it a few times, but was afraid of rejection. So I prompt her to read my blog entry about failures in life.
Hoping that would encourage her. :)

And so, I would also like to share my thoughts of "Life as a Testimony."

When I first heard pearlyn filling the blank "Life as a _______"
I was shocked, because I did not really expect that she will answer, (even Raffy did not give me an answer)
And she answered so well some more.
Testimony was a strong word for me, and I pondered on my view of Life being compared as Testimony.
What I felt was this.

When we are first brought to this world, we are like a blank piece of paper.
Because we have no interactions with others and so, people did not know how we are.
And as we grow up, we start to have contact with people.
At the same time, this blank piece of paper will be filled,
Based on our actions, the way we treat others and many other things that others see in us.

Upon thinking to this point, I asked myself.
What is written on this piece of paper of me (my life) currently?
I did not have a clear answer, because I did not live a life that brought out the best of me.
Only recently, when I started attending Trybe's activities I realized that Trybe brought a change in me and a prominent change of myself that even I was amazed by it.

I saw beauty in everyone's actions and thoughts.
In the past, as long as I see others actions and thoughts being different from mine,
I will not bother about them, or I would even be disgusted by them.
But after going for Trybe runs, I gradually become different.
Through the interaction with youths and the sessions that I personally benefitted,
I realized that all this while, my thoughts were wrong.
However, at that point of realization, I have already changed in fact.
Ok, sorry for digressing.

What do you want your piece of paper to fill with?
Do you want to see really colourful words and good sentences about yourself from others?
Or would you want to see just blank ink of your paper, which is dull and boring?
With all the nasty things or bad comments?
This, I asked myself. What have been the things I been doing?
Have I been impacting people's life positively?
Is my attitude right towards others?
Or was I nasty to them?
I reflected, and I decided that I am going to change.
I do not want my Testimony to be poor.
I want to leave good images and impressions to others.
But of course, these images and impressions are natural and the real me.
Not something that I acted out or just tries to be in front of them.
I want to start impacting and influencing others in a good way.
I chose my path, to leave a good testimony of myself.
What is your choice?

This testimony can also be seen as the legacy that we leave behind.
The things that we do, good or bad, will leave a print down in our lives.
We cannot change what we have done, but we can decide what we want in future.
We always say that we do not have a choice,
But it’s actually just that we never try, we do not there to try.
Hope that as more youths get to read this, your would dare to take the first step to the choice you choose.
And share it with your friends and move towards your dream/choices.

It will not be an easy route for sure.
But that's the point!
Just a simple thinking I would like to put you through.
"Would you cherish something that people give you more, or something that you put in a lot of efforts, you sacrificed for it more?
You reap what you sow.
We will celebrate success ultimately only if the effort was truly personal and not being pushed by external.

"If there is no sadness in this world, then there will be no happiness as well."
Which is same for?
"If there is no failure/setback in life, then there is no success."

Life as a Testimony is it good or bad, it’s all our choice.
The choice is yours and do not be afraid to do what you have chosen.
The road/route may not be as smooth as you think it is.
But take the setback as a lesson, to bring you another step forward.
It’s all about the mindset.
And lastly, it’s never too late to let others change their Testimony of you.

Posted on behalf of Dave