Twenty years ago I couldn't have told you the words to any hymn. As I stood next to my husband in church for the first time, the song I remember hearing was, "Amazing Grace". It's the first hymn I learned. Our son was just a baby in my arms when I felt the sweetest feeling come over me. At the time I couldn't have explained what was happening, but now I know that it was the Holy Spirit. The tears came as I handed my son to my husband and my feet left that pew close to the back row quicker than I could say, no. I walked forward and in that moment I asked, Jesus to be my Savior. My life forever changed on that day. A day just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving.
I found my way back to the pew and my husband stood with tears streaming down his face as he held our son. From the moment my husband and I met, he had been praying. He was praying that I would one day accept Christ as my Savior. He sweetly shared the love of Jesus with me. A girl who knew nothing about faith, who would one day share her faith with her children and be near as they too accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior.
Our spiritual journey is just that. A journey. There is so much to learn. Each day is an opportunity to know Him more. I have learned I must be dedicated and disciplined. Faith must comes first by believing. It's when I believed, that I learned to see. I mean, really see as though it was the first time. It's through having faith in Jesus that everything in life comes to have meaning and purpose. When we seek Christ, we will never come up empty. He will fill us with all we need.
Say we meet a new friend we really like. We invite them to coffee. Lunch is next. Pretty soon we are talking everyday. Sharing our deepest secrets. We share our great moments. We treasure time together. Milestones point out what makes are relationship wondrous. It's giving time to one another. It's being there always. It's knowing the other so well, you can finish their sentence. You know what they are going to say before they speak the words. You laugh at the same silliness and you know when the other is in need. You know when tears are about to fall. A sweet friendship such as this doesn't just happen. It is made. It's created over time. Friends, this is what our relationship with Jesus should look like.
Remember being a kid and having that one friend who stuck beside you like a brother? You would go somewhere and there was always someone who would say, "Where's your buddy?" We need to be so close to Jesus that when others see us, they know that He is present with us! Our steps should be in tune with His. Our words His and our actions a reflection of Him.
When I married my husband, my mom gave me a Bible as a wedding gift. It was my first Bible. I couldn't have shared with you one single scripture. I didn't know where to begin. In church when the pastor would say, "Please open your Bibles and turn to John 3:16", my husband would help me find it. Yes, John 3:16 is the first verse I ever memorized.
I started reading. It wasn't everyday that I read. I would pick up that Bible and just turn to a random page and read. Over time that reading turned to daily opening my Bible. The more I read, the more I yearned to read. This Living Word was feeding my soul. It wasn't just a book any longer. Not just a wedding gift, but part of my life. The pages came to life. The words were sweet nectar to my lips as I read them out loud. There are days I will read for a few minutes and others that I can simply remain in His Word for hours.
If you could see my desk now, there are four different Bibles sitting next to me. There are study Bibles next to my bed. Bibles are everywhere in our home. This, coming from the girl who grew up in a home without a Bible. If I'm honest and I must be. There have been times where those Bibles have collected dust. Times along my journey where I left my first love. Praise Jesus, there is no dust today. Oh friend, how His holy Word is wisdom for my weary soul. It gives guidance and love. Discipline and strength. I guess you could say it's a love map. Today, I simply can't get enough of this love map.
Soon, I was reading the Bible to my children. I was sharing the stories with them that I had learned. This newbie in Christ wanted nothing more than for my children to fall in love with the Word of God. As I read scripture to them, scripture I thought I had known, I learned even more. It's amazing to pick up the Living Word of God and read a scripture you have read a hundred times and still gain more insight than ever before. There is always something new to learn. Something new to share.
The more I seek Him, the more of Him I desire. The more of Him I desire, the more of Himself He shows me. The deeper I dive in, the more my perspective changes. Jesus is all about change and creating. I didn't have to be all cleaned up before He accepted me. I didn't have to change my ways before He entered my heart. All I had to do was surrender to Him and accept Him. He does the rest. Once He enters the heart of man, we are remade. We are born again. The old is gone and the new is being created. Jesus is a miracle worker. If He can a sinner such as me and move me to follow Him, anything is possible. He didn't look at my past and say, "I don't want her". He looked at me, His daughter, and said, "Come to Me, sweet daughter, just as you are. I created you to love me. Let Me take your life and show you My greatest mercies."
I look back in my life when I didn't know Jesus and I can see over and over again times where He was leading me to Him. He was making a way for me to see Him. We are on a divine appointed journey. He has that perfect and exact moment where we meet and all in life changes. He designs us with a desire for more than what this world can give. It's up to us to seek Him and to know Him.
Friends, He is right before you. He has been waiting and anticipating your meeting. He has been praying for you to come and unlock the door to your heart. May today be that day your life changes forever. I don't have all the answers. There is so much to learn. But one thing I do know. My Jesus is real!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."
Proverbs 3:4-5
"Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
Matthew 6:33
"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me. All day long I put my hope in You."
Psalm 25:4-5
