20 Years Later...Thankful for my New Life

Next week will be 20 years that I graduated from East Ridge High School.  Those years have gone by too quickly.  With the many I have reconnected with on Facebook, I am grateful for that.  You knew the old me and you have seen glimpses of the new me through Facebook.  Then there are the friends I have made within the last 15 years.  So what's the difference?

In 1998, at the age of 22, I became a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.  I grew up going to church and believing in God, but I thought when I died I would go to heaven because I was a good person.  I knew I wasn't perfect, but I tried to be good and thought that hell was only for the bad people.

Throughout my teenage years I had a penpal who lived in another state.  He was a Christian and was constantly writing to me about Jesus and having a new life through Him.  We would write to each other for several years until this new thing called email was invented.  When I was 17 my friend Paige was killed in a car accident.  I knew she loved Jesus so when she died, I had many questions. A friend at school knew I was struggling so he gave me his student Bible, which I would pick up to read from time to time.

When I was 19 I met Brad who professed to be a Christian.  He knew a lot about the Bible, but his life looked no different from mine.  It was really confusing.  He had told me he prayed a prayer when he was 5 so he was saved.  I told him I prayed a prayer at VBS when I was about 7 so I thought I was saved.  Needless to say we got married thinking we were both Christians.

I was 21 when I married and we started going to church regularly.  I kept hearing the Gospel and that it's only through Jesus we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  I would remember all the letters my friend Mark would write to me.  One day I was alone at my apartment and I cried out to God.  It was that day my life changed forever.  I had learned that there is no one good as Romans 3 says.  I am only accepted by God because of what Jesus did for me.  Jesus died for my sins, taking the wrath I deserve, dying a death I deserve.  And Jesus conquered death, sin and Satan by rising again.  I am a new person.  When God looks at me, He sees the righteousness of Christ.  Also, a year later, Brad trusted in Christ and it was amazing seeing each other change.

I am forever grateful for the seeds that were planted in my life from faithful and obedient Christians through prayer and through proclaiming the Word of God.  That is what God asks of His children.  God alone changes hearts and lives.  I need His strength daily.  Just after 6 years of becoming a Christian, a piece of my heart was ripped out when my son Kyler was taken away.  If my foundation had not been on Christ alone, I am pretty sure Brad and I would not have stayed married.  A death of a child adds so much stress to a marriage.  I am thankful that Brad and I have grown closer to our Savior and to each other these last 9 years.  

My prayer is that each of you will come to Christ if you haven't yet.  This world will pass away someday.  I hope to see each of you for all eternity with Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.