At the ripe old age of 11, I believe my cognitive processes had matured sufficiently for me to realize I had somehow landed on the planet without a purpose. Further, I recognized an internal issue that I couldn’t quite identify, but it was a wrecking ball in my life and I had no solution for it. To kill the pain, my drugs of choice were athletics, cool cars and friends. When those blew up, which they did on a regular basis, so did my self esteem and sense of well being.
My parents were world class. Since the two of them were well respected in the community, that washed over on their kids, but that did not fully compensate for the internal disconnect that plagued me. Fortunately, God paved the way, first leading my parents to Christ. My folks story began at a dinner party where their hosts testified to the change Jesus had made in their lives. Both of my parents along with several of their friends responded to Jesus that night. Even us youngsters could see that something had changed with the folks. Subsequently, my parents began to encourage us to consider the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
My first clear recollection of hearing that Jesus could make a fundamental change in my life coupled with an opportunity to respond was at a summer camp in the mountains. They docked us dessert if we didn’t memorize Bible verses so that wasn’t going over too well. Unexpectedly, the last night several of my friends professed Christ. One of them was my brother. That definitely gave me pause. I went back to my teepee, not really knowing what I was getting into, and before falling asleep, asked Jesus to take over and forgive the mess I had made of my life.
There was no profound, demonstrative, obvious change, but God led me to many godly men and women through the years that invested in me in various ways. Three steps forward, sometimes four steps back, little by little, my world view changed. By the time I hit college, God had obviously built a wall of protection around me (possibly a battalion of angels were involved) and I ended up at a Bible church where I recognized the Word of God had power. Others taught me to study, have a daily quiet time, and pray. Through a campus organization, I began encouraging others to find refuge where I had.
Through light affliction and much failure, I walk with Christ which is an obvious testimony to the power of God and His faithfulness. Literally, I shudder to think of where I would be today absent the Lord Jesus who gives purpose and direction to my life and His Word that redeems my thinking. The sin issue persists, but so does the enablement of the Holy Spirit, God’s grace, and the Word to keep me going. In the end, my sincere prayer is that I would be one “who overcomes”.
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