My Testimony

My youth was characterized by seeking God

And searching for the meaning of this life

And sitting in pews - but finding no answers.

As a teen, I sought people who could enlighten me

And scoured the Bible, looking for remedies.

But still, I sat on the throne of my own life,

And nothing satisfied.

I was discouraged by my own never-ending selfishness,

And fellow pew-sitters who seemed quite comfortable.

My thin scriptural understanding left me vacant

Until I heard a story that made sense of my life -

A life of shame for not meeting my own standards,

A life disconnected from the God I sought.

In one story, Jesus revealed what a true friend is:

Someone who sees my failure,

And pays the cost for it

So, I can be free from it,

Forever.

He finished what I could never do.

He took the blame for my failures.

He mended what I had fractured.

He found what I had lost.

And by faith, I loved Him.

Unfortunately, my selfishness is not fixed.

Still, at times, I find myself usurping the throne -

Even though I know destruction is my forte.

But now, I quickly forgo that sacred spot.

For I know I am easily fooled, and He is not.

With one story, my religion was replaced with following.

Ritual was replaced with fervor.

Emptiness was replaced with fruitfulness

And slavery was replaced with freedom.

Though I fail, day by day.

Each day, finally, has meaning:

As I rise up to point to the Finisher of my faith

And as I give myself daily for His finishing work in me.

The testimony of Patti (MacGregor) McCarthy Broderick

Written Feb 2018