by Jerry Dirmann 
What Does it Say?
John 4:13–42 (ESV) Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. … 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. … 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. … 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
What Does it Mean?
What happened with the Samaritan woman would be considered impossible by most people. She had one encounter with Jesus, and only one, and as a result, she was able to influence a large number of people in her town to put their faith in Jesus. And how exactly did she do this? By simply telling her story.
What Does it Mean to Us?
If we would just be like this Samaritan woman, we could impact many people by simply telling them the story of what Jesus has done for us. You can write your story in three simple parts:
- Your life before Jesus
- How you met Jesus
- Your life since meeting Jesus
Of course, there are many things that Jesus has done for you, but since many people you meet won’t have more than a minute or two, you should choose some of the most meaningful ones to include in your story.
Response
Ask God to help you write your story—your testimony—so that you can share it with others.