Sharing my Story Day 12: Accepting Christ

How did you come to accept Christ? Did someone pray with you? Did you read about the way to salvation through one of those paper tracts that are often distributed? Did you feel his holy presence as you were sitting in worship or a church program and then seek out the pastor or make your way to the altar during the altar call? What about your baptism? Where you baptized as a baby and then learned how to accept Christ later in life? Or was it the other way around? Where....water sprinkled on your head, baptism pool, river, .....?????

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.

Romans 10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

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I loved those cute little New Testament Bibles and all the cute little tracts that would be shared at church.

When I was 12 years old, we lived on 90 Poppenhiem Drive in Ladson. I was so excited to be going back to Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Charleston. I had carefully written the words to the Apostles Creed so I could have it memorized. We only went back a few times. 

That's okay, I also had a chance to go to church with my best friend Hope and her dad. They would pick me up on Sundays and off we would go. 

But that isn't where I sought God. Instead, I would hold on to those tracts with the cross spanning like a bridge and I would read them over and over again, telling God that I knew I was a sinner and that I accepted his Son as my Savior. 

I kept praying those prayers in the privacy of my bedroom over and over again expecting some huge miraculous change to be felt deep inside me. But it didn't come. 

There were also times I went to church with another friend of mine, Pamela. Now you see, I've always been one to cry when I am touched. I think it is a huge part of my being introverted. Well there was one time we were at church together, singing and praying and I started crying. My friends of course were thinking that I had accepted Christ that night. They were so excited for me. I couldn't get it across to them that was not the reasons for the tears. Still today I cry throughout sermons. I try not to, but I do. Actually now that I understand more clearly why I do it and have learned to embrace it, I just let the tears flow. I am just so thankful for God's all emcompassing love. I knew I had already said the prayer to admit my sins and accept Christ and it had nothing to do with that night at church. 

Well, life continued to happen and there was a lot of straying from God over the next few years.

When I was almost 16 I found church again. Actually I started working at the daycare associated with the church and then just started attending church. This time I was at Miles Road Baptist Church. That's the first time I joined a church choir, participated in youth activities. I was at church Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening.  That's also the first time I bought my first Christian CD after hearing Amy Lambert sing one evening at the church. Looking up the songs that are the CD just now, I can't help but sing all the songs in my mind. I had that CD memorized. My favorites being "Worth it All", "A Child's Request", "Alive and Well"and "I Like to Fly".

During these months I also go to see one of the best Passion plays I've ever seen when I went to my boyfriends church to see it. His mom had a lead role and what a strong and beautiful voice she had. My boyfriend, I think, also played a part. I remember my mom and pop going with me to one of the showings and they went to speak with one of the counselors after the play. I remember sitting there thinking "Yay! My mom and pop are accepting Christ." What I later learned is that they had accepted Christ years ago, but they had decided to rededicate their lives to Christ. Either way...I was so excited for them. 

It's hard to believe this part of my life only lasted about 6 months or so, but that's all it was.

Then summer came, as well as moving yet again. During the transition my brother and I went to visit family in Virginia. I knew this was my chance to be baptized the way I wanted....not in a baptism pool, but in the actual waters outside the church. I had to be baptized just like in Biblical times. 

Take the time to check out my post on my baptism here: Down to the River

Remember that I shared earlier about those tracts and hiding out in my room to accept Christ. Well, let me tell I was truly born again the day I was baptized. You see, there is a reason the Bible talks about confessing with the mouth, sharing Christ to others, and about receiving the Holy Ghost when you are baptized. That is what God wants us to do, our path to salvation. But it doesn't stop there. 

There are going to be times in life when you stray, but guess what: God cares about every last one of his sheep and will work to get us back. There are going to be times in your life when you go through trials and these trials can either help you become stronger in your faith or destroy your faith and cause you to stray yet again. For me the hard part was not the accepting Christ piece. The hard part is all the life that still takes place, but I will tell you that the harder you work to stay on the right path and walk with God and do his will, the easier it gets. I still have a long way to go, but I can say that with practice each day, it becomes easier to let go and let God when we find ourselves faced with those trials that stand in our way. 

Let us pray:
God, thank you for the plan of salvation. For sending your Son to take away our sins. I also realize that part of your plan is for us to also be fishers of men. As I get better at turning to you and letting you lead, I still struggle with being a fisher of men for you. I still hide in my bedroom, but this time typing away sharing my stories in a way that is easy for me. I ask for your help in really learning to reach out and bring others to know you. I pray that any person reading these posts who may not know you yet will open their hearts and let you in. In your name, Amen.