My Search

When I was growing up, I was required to go to church, and it was boring. Yet deep inside I wanted to know about God. Since church didn’t seem to help, I searched elsewhere for God. At age 13 I read Autobiography of a Yogi. I studied Hinduism and Zen Buddhism. In college I took courses in Comparative Religions and Eastern Philosophy. Still unsatisfied, I turned to Astronomy and Physics, thinking that in the laws of the universe God would be revealed to me. Yet I still had that gnawing loneliness inside.

So I dropped out of college and traveled to San Francisco, then Mexico. Finally I hitchhiked through Europe. But no matter where I went, I couldn’t find the answer. So I grudgingly returned to America and found work as a waitress. At age 24, I was still as confused and lonely as I had been when I started out my search.

Soon a waitress named Debbie started telling me how Jesus died in my place so I wouldn’t have to suffer the punishment for my own sin. I didn’t buy it. I grew up knowing about Jesus, but that wasn’t enough, and I told Debbie that.

Debbie and I became friends in spite of her Jesus-ness, and I took up the challenge and argued with her often. Christianity was too plain vanilla, too narrow-minded for me. Besides, I knew Christians who didn’t act very Christ-like. Why would I want to be like them? And what about all the people in the world who had never heard about Jesus? Did Christianity just dump them all as heathen? Though Debbie couldn’t answer all the questions I asked, I couldn’t deny the light shining through her eyes when she talked about Jesus.

One day we took a road trip together. While rattling down the highway in my old green Volvo, Debbie described to me all the catastrophes the Bible said would happen on the earth in the end times. I may be stubborn, but I’m not stupid! I decided right then and there that I wanted to be on the God’s side if all that happened. I asked Debbie what to do, and she said, “Pull over.”

My New Beginning

So I pulled over into a Stuckey’s near Tucumcari, New Mexico, and there I asked God to forgive me and receive me into His family. Though it was a simple prayer, I knew right away that something had happened inside me. The world seemed new again. Colors even looked brighter! I wasn’t lonely anymore, and I somehow knew that God would be with me forever. All the questions didn’t seem so important anymore because I knew that the One who had the answers was now residing in me.

Since that day I have had the same things happen in my life that happen in yours — joy and heartbreak, weddings and funerals, crazy fun and deep disappointments — and at times, a wounded heart. But Jesus has walked with me through it all. I have never been alone. I trust God with what I don’t understand. I rest in His care when my world is in turmoil. I am filled with joy when I sense His presence.

What About You?

Does this sound crazy to you? Or have you too wondered if you could ever have that empty place filled? It’s simple, but it’s also the most difficult choice you’ll ever make. It is a free gift, yet it will cost you everything. Don’t quit reading here. I can tell you from experience it’s worth the cost.

Are you ready to cast yourself into the hands of the One who knew you before you were born? The One who chose you for Himself? The One who gave me my story and will give you yours? Then tell this to God if you mean it in your heart:

Lord, I’m ready to give myself to You. I am going to take a leap of faith and believe that You are trustworthy, that You will care for me when I put myself in Your hands. Forgive me for my selfishness, for all the things I’ve done wrong, and for all the bad attitudes in my heart. Thank You, Jesus, for taking the penalty for my sins on the cross, for being my Savior. Change me so I will be pleasing to You. From this day on, I will trust in You and rest in You. Guide me through life, talk to me every day, and take me to be with You when I die. Thank You, Lord.

If you prayed this with your heart, I am so thrilled! Your new life begins today. Pick up a Bible and read the book of John in the New Testament to learn about your loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Talk to God every day, and take the time to listen to Him, too. He will never leave you or forsake you!