by Aaron Hansen

I remember the first time I had to tell people my testimony.

It had been a long and intense three day Men's Encounter. I was bouncing about in the back of the crowd, surrounded by guys who had also just went through emotional hell and back with me. As they were giving their's, I was so worried. As far as I knew, it was only me that had my testimony.

Not a lot of people that I knew in the church had to deal with SSA (same sex attraction) and it was terrifying.

The time had come, I was the last man standing. The whole church crammed into that small chapel, and at the time, it might have been. I stammered out my testimony. I called my best friend at the time a fatty (he was rather skinny, in truth) and muttered the phrase "homosexual tendencies". After that, the rest was a blur, it was as if my entire body had lost the effects of gravity.

That was eight years ago and nowadays, I could rattle off the bullet points of my testimony in a couple of minutes. Daddy issues, homosexuality and a whole lot of pride. There wouldn't be a beat skipped, nor a subject shied away from. The Bible says that we are letters, known and read by everyone. (2 Co 3:2)

It was getting to this point that was the hard road to travel. There were awkward conversations at malls. Deep and uncomfortable conversations with my parents. A few talks that ended friendships because they were so offended that I had decided that my life could mean more. It was so difficult to rip open wounds that I would have rather hid and bare them for all to see. To say, don't worry about these wounds or your own, because the wounds of Jesus Christ are enough to heal ours. It was difficult and on certain days, is still difficult.

This month is about winning, about overcoming, about triumphing. The Bible says we triumph over the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. (Rev. 12:11) That we don't shy away from the dirt and filth of our lives to show that Christ wipes it all clean. Christ has done his part and now, we do ours. I wouldn't be here if a friend hadn't shared his testimony to me and now I do the same for others. It's a powerful tool in winning people. Your life is a powerful tool in changing people's lives.

Recently, people at Northwest have been sharing their own testimonies. They've been thanking the people that brought and changed them. You'll be able to see these on the Northwest Church Facebook page under the hashtag #ifitwerenotfor.