Thankful for that moment...

This morning as I sat out on the balcony, Jackson by my feet, God surrounding me and talking with me I began a litany of things that I am thankful for and my mind was drown to a moment in time, the most important moment of my life.

It was on this same balcony so many years ago, I remember the moment like I’m in it now.  It was summer, in the evening, the sun was setting.  I was sitting in that old wicker rocking chair, originally white yet had faded and cracked with the years, now replaced with a different chair, more padding, still as welcoming.  I was wearing a short outfit, a mild green and white…I was reading.

All my life I have believed in the Trinity, God the Father, Son and Spirit, but that night it all changed.  Reading a book, Power for Living, sent to me by my sister Audrey, I came to the place of the salvation prayer.  Like a light bulb lighting up, a konk on the head or to wax poetically an epiphany…I knew He existed, I knew He is truth, I needed to accept Him.  That night talking with Him, opening myself up to Him, accepting Him, I was made new.

I believe it was Alan Redpath that said we need to remember that conversion is a moment; growth is the journey of the rest of our days.  My new journey had begun.  Realizing over the years that it’s not religion I was missing, it was not often that I didn’t attend church.  What I needed was to know Him, not just know of Him, I needed to be friends with the one who is my friend.   Over the years He and I have laughed, cried, fought, lost touch, come back together, my day is not complete without time with God.  Nothing in this life cannot be replaced except for Him, He is comparable to nothing. 

We all dream of those amazing moments in life and we think of weddings, graduations, births…think of new birth, your new birth.  Charles Stanley* puts it so well:

“A life that wins is possible only for those who are rightly related to God.  You can’t depend on your own goodness to get to heaven, because we’ve all sinned and fallen short of His Glory.  But if you’ll rely on Jesus, who paid the penalty for your sins with His death on the cross, you’ll become righteous in God’s eyes and will be guaranteed a place in heaven.  You can use your owns words or the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I believe you are truly the son of God.  I confess that I have sinned against You in thought and word and deed.  Please forgive all my wrongdoing, and let me live in relationship with You as my Savior and recognize that the work you accomplished once and for all on the cross was done on my behalf.  Thank you for saving me to live a life that is pleasing to you.  Amen.”

Life still gets, well, like life, ups and downs, yet I'm never alone in them.  I am so thankful for that moment in my life, praying you soon have yours. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

*In Touch Ministries, “All Things Are New” to help you take the next steps in a relationship with Jesus Christ,

 800-789-1473