One of the blogs I've started following recently is having a blog link-up to share stories of life lessons to share with others so I thought I'd share mine:
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
I became a christian at a young age but for years no one would have known that, or maybe even believed it if I had told them. See, I felt like once I had accepted Christ I was done and could do whatever I wanted after that safe in the knowledge that I was saved. What I know now is that I wasted years of my life pursuing things that brought me little joy when I could have had the peace and joy that comes from having a relationship with God. I had traded the truth of God for a lie and eventually my lukewarm lifestyle caught up with me. I was burned out from trying to do it all on my own and not sure where to turn.
I remember being so overwhelmed with everything that I wished I had my own sensory deprivation chamber that I could hide in to escape the world! Unfortunately, I didn't have one at my disposal so one night when I just couldn't take any more I did the next best thing, I shut off all the lights, the TV and everything else and just lay on my couch in the dark wondering if I was going crazy. At first it was weird just laying there, then kind of relaxing, and all of a sudden the most amazing thing happened. A commercial for a church in my area popped in my head and in an instant I knew what was missing. A relationship with my Savior! It was time for this prodigal daughter to come home.
That was years ago and I can't say that since then everything's been easy or that I don't sometimes need a reminder of who is in charge but what I know now is that if you're feeling overwhelmed & weary, it's time to stop trying to do it on your own. Lay your burden down & turn to your Heavenly Father for rest.
Linking to:
Linking to:
I am going to post I guess what will end up being my testimony. Like my lovely wife, I too was "saved" when I was younger and thought I was good to go. Then 10 years ago I met this woman by the grace of God and about 5 years ago she started to make some changes on me. She started going to church and talking about Jesus and God. Me on the other hand, I was thinking, "Hey I am a good guy, and I help people out all the time and take care of my family, so I am good with the big guy."
ReplyDeleteThen one day I was able to get off of work for just long enough to go to church with my family. That is when I found out that I have been missing the point all the these years. I need Jesus and God, but then I had another problem. How do I go about getting this relationship going? Was it like when my wife and I starting dating, just say hey you busy tonight, you want to do something? Did I have to learn some secret handshake and know the "code word"?
So I set out on my search for God. Yes I said "I", my wife was well on her way. Now one of the mistakes I made and I still make today is thinking that I can find out on my own. While I think that I am getting better at asking for help finding the answers, I still try to get out on my own. Of course one of the first passages that I found was John 3:16, but I needed more. We started attending a large church, but I could not find what it was I felt God leading me to.
Then we found our church family, and we were welcomed with open arms and it was like coming home. However as thick skulled as I am, I still had the nerve to as God is this where you really want my family? I know God had the pastor chase us down like his life was depending on it. That is a funny story by itself that I will save for another time. So God's answerr to me was, "Hey guess what, I know you have not been a drummer for years, but I am going to make you the drummer for the praise team here." So I started playing with the band. Then a short time later I was a idiot yet again and asked the same question. So He answered by saying, "Ok you want more proof, you are now singing in the chior next to the woman I gave you." So again I listened but yet still not 100% sure that God had me where He wanted me, I again asked Him. (It takes me a while to get the point, just ask my wife how many times she has to tell me something.) God says, "Here you go, now you are a Sunday school teacher." I have learned not to doubt in the last 4 years, but I will say that my questions, even though the same question, I have learned more than I could have ever learned by just sitting in the church.
Now if I knew then what I know now I would have come RUNNING a long time ago. Now I have a long way to go, since I am thick headed, but I think that I have come a long way.
I will close by say that everyday I give thanks to God. First for taking the time to send His only Son to die not just for my sins but everyone's sins. Second for giving me a wife that is slow to anger and quick to love me even when I am a idiot. Finally for loving me even when I have not been a good child to Him.